Pluto Vacation
by Paradigm of Writing
Summary: Death lived there, in that resort. Who ever dared step foot on its grounds was a goner, everyone knew that. When a group of thirteen friends goes to stay at the resort for a vacation, one by one the numbers lessen as evil gets a hold them. Eventually they will all die, when Pluto catches up to them. (1st Overall in Randomblackberry's Mystery Contest)
1. Chapter 1: On This Hallowed Night

**Hello everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new story! Good god, I am a terrible liar aren't I? I said that with Teach Me How to Cry, it'd be the last multi-chaptered story till Creationists. Well, of course, I lied like I always seem do when making announcements. But before you get mad at me, I'll tell you up front- it's for a contest I am in. Metroid-Killer's Heartless Contest was practically screaming at me to do, and if you have read Osiris's Angel, you'd know most definitely, but then I dropped out of Metroid's contest, then two months later joined Randomblackberry's Mystery Contest with this piece, so enjoy!**

 **I am still unsure of how many chapters this shall be, but you all shall get the title! Pluto Vacation, Horror/Friendship, and most definitely hoping to disgust / scare you all out of your mind. Now, I'm drawing in inspiration from many outlets for this story and the main fact that none of the chapters will be short. 5k at minimum, and I do mean it. If you have heard of a piece called Until Dawn, a new video game, you'll get the idea really quick. If you HAVEN'T, do not spoil yourselves, or it'll ruin everything. It's like the game and the concept, but with several MAJOR twists alongside it. All right, enjoy Chapter 1: On This Hallowed Night.**

* * *

 ** _12:04 A.M, Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2014._**

Samus Adderage shook her head in utter disbelief. Her light blonde hair danced playfully against her neck, bouncing up and down her shoulders. Thunder and lightning rattled the windows, outside a storm raged and destroyed all in its path. Her normally playful diamond eyes were angry and violent. "You guys are assholes if you do this!"

"Why? She deserves it!" Sheik Boeing held her hands up in defense.

"But isn't this taking the word 'prank' a little bit too far?"

"Suit yourself on how you see it," piped up Marth Lowell from the foot of the couch near the fireplace. "I see an opportunity to have some fun. You don't have to participate in this should you choose against it."

"All we are doing is looking out for our dear and good friend Zelda Friedrich." Sheik nodded towards the brunette in question.

Zelda Friedrich couldn't resist making a smile, patting her best friend on the back. "You're too kind, making sure buster and I get in carefree."

"Is it Midna's fault that she has a huge crush on Marth?"

"Absolutely," Zelda snarked. "Nobody is gonna ruin what Marth and I have, what we've got _going_ on."

Another person bustled into the conversation, running in through the door from the kitchen, covered in snow and shivering to their heart's content. Lucina Husen, dusted from head to toe in a white lining, glared at her friends. For the weekend, Lucina, her sister Midna, and their brother Kuro were given their parents lodge up in rural state Colorado to have a party with their closest friends. Among them were Zelda, Sheik, Marth, and Samus, a main ragtag quartet that always hung out together pulling the most amazing pranks. Earlier that evening, at a campfire started by the Husen brother of the three, Midna's secret on having a huge crush on Marth Lowell leaked from her lips. Problem was, Zelda and Marth were a couple, dating for several weeks and it so happened that the flaming redhead had no idea about the interaction whatsoever. While Sheik and Marth were on board with getting some sweet embarrassment slid in for the week as the friends were to leave the next morning, Samus took immediate displeasure.

"I heard your damn chatter from outside. What are you all so boisterous about?" Lucina asked, shaking the outside drift of snow and rain from her jacket.

Samus frowned. "Our dear friends wish to pull a prank on Midna. One that is _not_ going to be funny whatsoever."

"Let's just say it involves a certain man who she should not be crushing on." Zelda stuck out her chin in pride.

"I'm eager for it to get started. I'm manning camera." a voice announced from the seat next to the blue head boyfriend.

"Link is on it too?" Lucina eyed the cheekily grinning maple blond headed goof.

"Of course I am," Link smiled. "Why wouldn't I be? Getting to miss such the chance to see humiliation at its best... must be glorious!"

Lucina scanned the living room that her friends were currently cramping, seven people who could have a chance in possibly destroying whatever fun the weekend had currently collected. Next to the TV against the wall, sitting on the couch, was Marth and Link, the latter holding a camera in his hands. Marth was staring bemusedly at his girlfriend, said girl standing closest to Lucina, hands crossed over her chest, back against the wall. Sheik and Samus were both in the middle of the room, a blending of blonde hair suffocating the rest of the colors around. On the stairs that led to the upstairs sat Peach Tydal, one of the more reclusive friends of the bunch, who just shrugged. Lucina ran a hand through her navy hair, brushing it out of her face.

"You are even bringing Peach into this?" the blue haired girl sighed.

"She asked to be a part of it," Sheik shrugged. "Don't tell us it's our fault."

"Anyone else worth noting?" Samus asked.

"Red," Link piped up from the couch. He was referring to Red Kyne, the newest of the group to take a trip to the lodge. "He's giving Midna our little note. Whenever we get a text message from him signaling the package being delivered, we spring into action."

"And Robin. Can't forget Robin." Zelda added.

Lucina rolled her eyes. Nearly every _single_ one of her friends was partaking in this prank. Joyous. Robin Jett was one of the Husen's old companions since they were kids, stunning pallid hair and pearly white teeth that caused everyone to have their knees knock together. Lucina expected her to be the last one to participate in such a thing.

"What about the guys that you didn't mention? Luigi, Lucas, and Kuro..." Peach counted off her fingers.

"Luigi is in the restroom, currently having a serious case a diarrhea," Marth pointed at the shy blond on the steps. "Kuro is drinking in the kitchen, and Lucas can be anywhere."

"Au contraire, but said individual is here." Lucas's meek voice came through, said boy in question. The sleepyhead, another long term companion to the Husen children, yawned.

"Will you be joining us in our escapade to prank Midna?" Sheik questioned.

The blonde boy rolled his eyes. "I'll choose to opt out of that adventure. I have a serious headache right now, much rather not get into whatever trouble you're seeking to find. A deep slumber is beckoning me up to one of the guest bedrooms. Much appreciated if the noise level could lower significantly while this is going on."

"Always ruining our fun, aren't you?" Zelda jeered.

"Call it whichever way you want, but don't disturb me," Lucas said sleepily. He trekked the stairs, almost stepping on Peach's hands. "Good night."

"Good night!" the room, minus Lucina chorused.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Lucas howled, clutching his head as his foot touched the second floor.

The guys in the living room laughed. "Heh, probably should've have done that."

Lucina brought her attention back to everyone still gathered. "Fine, go ahead and do what you want to do. Clearly my pleading won't stop anything from taking place. Anyone not doing it that's still here?"

Samus raised her hand. "Rather evil with what they are planning, so I'm opting out. As a matter of fact, _I'm_ going to look for Midna and warn her instead."

"You're a slut if you do that!" Zelda called as the trooper jogged up the steps.

"It won't be anything too serious." Marth assured Lucina.

"You say that, but I still don't trust you."

"Not necessarily a matter of trust," Link pointed out. "You let the cards shuffle out on the table by themselves rather than messing with things. This lodge is huge. Sam is not going to find her before we do."

"Can I at least see the note that Red is going to give my sister?"

Sheik dug inside her jeans pocket, pulling out a crudely written paragraph on lined paper. It read,

 _Dear Midna, it's Marth. Look, I heard what you said earlier and I apologize for never telling you sooner. Zelda and I are together, we've been that way for quite some time. Preferably, I'd say please just step away and let nature run its course, but today I'll make an exception. You are rather hot today in that shirt, the way it hugs your body and brings out the fiery, flaming red of your hair behind that sharp black. Meet me in the second guest bedroom at quarter after midnight, there we can discuss your proposition. Cheating isn't always bad, you know. Sincerely, your precious love Marth._

Lucina looked up from the letter. "You guys aren't seriously going to try and make my sister have sex with Marth, are you?"

"Of course not! That's sickening," Zelda declared hotly. "Just want to rile up the hormones is all."

"Crude, I know, but harmless fun is harmless." Peach gave a shrug.

"I wouldn't call breaking my sister's heart a funny game. Many people will find that offensive. Hell, my parents probably won't even invite you again if this goes too far."

"It won't!" Marth pouted.

"How many times do we have to tell you, we'll be careful. Aren't we always careful?" Zelda comforted the distressed girl.

Lucina debated her next choice of words. "Okay. NO funny business, or I'll murder each and every one of you, personally. Capiche?"

Sheik nodded. "Capiche."

The bluenette directed her pathway to the kitchen. "Have at it!" she yelled.

With a loud clambour, the partying group of friends scrambled up the stairs, cussing and loud shrieks of enjoyment riling up the whole house. Inside one of the bedrooms, Lucas Samuels winced, Samus Adderage frowned, and Midna Husen waited unexpectedly for the worst few moments of her life.

* * *

For all the crazy, boring shit that happened in Luigi Russo's life, getting hit by a brick from the behind was not one of them. Seeing Samus Adderage worried was also peculiar as well.

"Slow down," he told the panting blonde. "Start over. Zelda and Sheik are going to do _what?_ "

Samus wiped the sweat from her brow. "They want to film Midna getting undressed, preparing to screw around with Marth. Toying with someone's feelings isn't the greatest prank they could've pulled, but Lucy gave them the right away. Who knows what's going to happen."

Luigi took a step back, reeling from shock. "Damn, that's rather cold. I figure you are against it?"

"One. Hundred. Percent. Absolutely, it's sick almost."

The boy leaned back against the wall of the second floor of the lodge. He was dressed in green, his favorite color any time of the year. If people thought his winter getup was bad, spring brought on a whole other fashion nightmare. A emerald jacket was slung over his shoulders, blocking little of the frigid cold that wafted through the corridors. His bushy, mahogany hair stuck out in multiple places, unable to be covered by his verdant cap, a pallid L stamped on the front.

"Glad to hear that."

"I tried finding Midna, but that turned out to be unsuccessful. She wasn't outside, wasn't up here _or_ downstairs. Hell, its like they kidnapped her or something. Gives me the creeps, but I know she's in this house and is about to be fucked over in more ways than one." Samus shuddered.

"I could help you look..." Luigi offered.

"Would be nice of you. Two people to cover more ground?"

"Always helps."

"Gotcha. I'll take upstairs once more, you can flip downstairs every which way." Samus ordered.

The two split, each holding different emotions in their heart. One was worried beyond belief, nervous and so scared that ragged breaths spooked them more. The other was shaky, but collected. It was going to be fine, no one would get hurt of it... right? Even if the feelings were vastly different from each other, they were undistinguishable. Finding Midna Husen was the top priority. If not, then things were going to get messy.

* * *

Midna Husen brushed her scarlet hair over her ears, shielding the light from the candle clutched in her hands as she traversed up the steps to the second floor of the lodge. "Marth?" she whispered, hoping to not be too loud to wake the others.

Her heart leaped inside her chest. " _Oh boy, oh boy! He actually wants me to see him! I thought this day would never come!_ " She peered into the bathroom, seeing that it was empty and plunged into darkness. She rolled her eyes. Duh, the letter said to wait in the second bedroom for guests. There. Down the other end of the hall lied her prize, the doorknob gleaming with halcyon paint. Midna practically ran for the circular object, wrenching it open and falling in the room, bunched up into a ball of dust and flaming hair.

She looked up, eyes dazzling with reward. "Sorry if I looked so silly. Tripped on the way here." Midna apologized, standing up and setting the candle down at the nightstand.

Marth gave her a grin. "No need to try and commiserate with me. All works well. Get the note?"

"Got it!" Midna exclaimed, holding up the piece of paper.

"Did you muse those requests over?"

"Can't tell you exactly. Want to find out?"

"Would you prefer my mouth, my body, or my heart tell you my response?" he flirted with her.

"Ooh, aren't you scandalous!"

"Hey, that's the type of guy I come exactly across."

"One that fills me up with enjoyment, rather."

The two got near each other, Marth laying one cautious hand on her shoulder. " _Should I do this?_ " he pondered. No turning back now, he dismissed in the back of his head. Closer and closer the two got, the hotter the room became, and the quieter it stilled as well. Their lips met like fire, ravishing and sharp as he bit her mouth, Midna crying out in surprise. The two fumbled to the floor, Marth making an obvious attempt to block the view from under the bed.

"The shirt-" he managed to get out.

"Can it wait?"

"Are you suggesting-"

"Depends."

"I like the way you think." Marth chuckled, kissing her again.

The Husen sister had no idea, pushing him against the wooden floor, climbing on top of him. "Making out is always the first step, right? Never really have I taken the relationship route before. It leads to other... scenarios."

"Indeed it does." he laughed.

Midna sat up. "Are you sure."

"Yes. Positive," Marth's eyes glinted. "Now... Mid, we must discuss the shirt. I wrote that you looked great in it, _but..._ what about when you're out of it?"

She took that as her cue, hands lingering down to her breasts. One button was handled carefully, sliding away from its pocket, exposing-

"Oh my god! Sheik, she _really_ is taking her shirt off!" Peach's thrilled voice shrieked from under the bed.

"Wait, what?" Midna gasped, backing up away from Marth, hands clutching her clothing tight.

Light flooded the room, Marth standing up sheepishly as the rest of the room revealed themselves. Peach and Sheik, the two blonde girls, crawled out beneath the bed frame, the former's face burning rosy pink in surprise, moreso giddy than guilty. Link took the pride of opening the closet doors, the camera grasped between his pointer and middle fingers. Red and Robin waved from atop the bookcases that lined the back wall. Zelda, who was hiding behind the door the whole time, burst out laughing.

"That was too good!"

"What are you all doing here?" Midna asked, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Where did you learn how to kiss like that," Sheik prodded the embarrassed girl. "You said you aren't romantic, but we got you on camera pouncing him like a tiger. Ravenous little beast, aren't you?"

"Link... are you filming?" the Husen sister had crystalline droplets streaming from her eyes at this point.

Samus and Luigi came running in from the hall, both cussing in unison. "FUCK!" Samus stomped her foot.

"Really smooth, you guys." Luigi sneered at the rest.

Marth rubbed the back of his neck. "Mid, we are so sorry. I thought people would've stopped it way earlier than they did-"

"It was just a stupid prank." Samus hugged the crying girl.

"You all are assholes!" Midna shrieked, running from the room. Luigi cussed, taking the moment to sprint after her.

Samus backed up slowly, her glare giving her the power in the room. "What is wrong with you fuckers anyways? You even promised Lucina that nothing bad would happen. Well, hell, guess what happened? She's ran from the room, crying," she guilt tripped the group. Spinning on her heels, she ran as well. "Midna!" she called.

The group was left in stunned silence, rocking back and forth awkwardly on their heels. Marth whistled, Sheik's face in her hands. "It was supposed to be harmless. My god."

"We fucked up, didn't we?" Link's hesitant voice broke the quiet.

"Yeah, we sure as hell did." Zelda agreed.

"That's the least of our problems." Peach shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Red asked, dropping from the bookshelf with Robin.

"Now we have to find out where Midna is going to go. It's storming out there, rain and snow falling together. She's going to get hurt." Robin nodded, following the blond's drift.

"Shit..." Marth trailed off.

Without adding an extra word, the group of seven barreled down the hallway.

* * *

Lucina set another glass down by the sink, yawning. The kitchen light gave the atmosphere a ghostly hue, with only the clattering and clinking of glasses keeping her company. Her thoughts drifted here and there, mainly focused on one point. " _God, I hope they aren't being crude to her. I can only imagine..._ "

A light knock caused the bluenette to spin around, making the one who knocked, which was Lucas to jump. "Sheesh," he winced. "Sorry if I scared you. I was about to drift off when Midna's crying woke me up. Well, Samus's cursing was the precursor, followed by three sets of footsteps, then a multitude of wild dashing. I think that prank went the whole other way."

"I told them..."

"I know what you told them. Doesn't me they were going to necessarily listen. Hell, this is Zelda, Sheik, and Marth we're talking about here. Anyways, I don't know where Midna went. Has to be still in the house, as going out in that storm is stupid. Sorry for the misfortune Lucy."

"That can be settled in the morning. Perhaps you could find her for me. A text message would be great."

"Will do." Lucas complied, exiting the kitchen.

Lucina resumed her cleaning, anger exerting out in her movement. The cup in her grasp shattered, shards of glass flying everywhere as a damp cloth touched the reflective object. She sighed, smearing a drop of blood on her palm. Seeing as perhaps doing the dishes was going to lead to even more bloodshed, finding an other idle task would've been a better bet.

She turned around, face-to-face with her brother, Kuro Husen. Lucina smirked, ruffling her brother's head of onyx hair. His phone was on by him, the boy passed out against the counter. Further inspection brought into a view a bottle of whiskey, the idiot managed to get buzzed by downing the whole thing. She rolled her eyes, much was to be expected of him. On his phone, a picture of Midna and Kuro was displayed. Their ghastly crimson eyes pierced through Lucina's skull.

"How you manage to out do yourself every year, I will never know." she chuckled, patting Kuro's shoulder. He still didn't stir. The alcohol did quite the number.

Lucina turned to face the window, when a blurred object went running past. She blinked, realizing it was Midna, who was sobbing at the top of her lungs. " _Oh shit_..." the bluenette dashed from the counter, racing into the main living room. The front door to the lodge was wide open, where a gathering of people cluttered in the doorway had formed. She ran headlong into it.

"Midna!" Zelda yelled, her voice being carried by the whipping wind.

"Where's my sister going?" Lucina demanded, breaking through the group.

Everyone minus Kuro, Midna, and Lucas were placed in this cluster. Marth, Zelda, Sheik, Link, Robin, Red, Peach, Luigi, and Samus were accounted for. The first seven were shaking their heads in disbelief, anger, and confusion. Samus held her hands up in frustration. "Ask them. They know everything."

"It was only a prank!" Marth howled, cupping his hands to hopefully project his voice.

"You jerks!" Lucina sneered.

"Want us to go find her with you?" Luigi offered.

"No, Midna can only be calmed down by me, and me only." the Husen bluenette dejected.

"You sure?" Samus started.

"More than positive." With that, Lucina ran off into the storm, pelted by snow and rainfall alike. A shattering boom of lightning resounded through the area, causing Peach to hug her arms tight.

"Oh lord..." she whispered.

"Should we go after her?" Marth asked the group.

"You heard what Lucy said-" Robin began to say.

"Doesn't matter what she said, this is dangerous." Luigi retorted.

"I think you guys are gonna be the last people on this planet that Midna is going to want to see." Samus pointed out, her eyes judging, tone relentless.

"She's over reacting." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"You guys-" Link cut in.

"Forget it," Sheik stamped her foot. "Lucina is going out there to brave the storm. They're sisters. Hell, if anyone can find Midna in this weather, it's Lucina."

And how the group wished that was true.

* * *

 ** _12:43 A.M, Eden Mountain Resort, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2014._**

Lucina batted away the branches of a coniferous tree, snow splattering her boots. "Midna! Mid, where are you?" she yelled into the storm, her words getting lost in the battle of wind and the elements. A flash of lightning somewhere in the sky illuminated the ground in front of her, showing her the edge of a mountain cliff.

"Oh fuck!" she gasped, skittering to a stop. Her head bounced off of something sharp, and closer and closer Lucina Husen's body reached the craggy drop off to an inevitable doom below. She breathed raggedly, pulling herself up. Just another night at Eden Resort, nothing wrong there. People nearly fell off of cliffs all the time, no biggie whatsoever.

" _If I was Midna, where would I go to hide?"_ Lucina thought to herself, backing up from the cliffside. She ran off again, seeing a quick path of either a jump of about eight or so feet, or metal stairs that'd safely drop her to the ground. Biting her tongue, she leaped, landing dangerously close to the trunk of a tree, terrified and sick with fear. She rubbed the back of head, the gleaming crimson color of blood meeting her fingertips. Must've been the rock she slammed her head against.

The weather howled in the air, moans and screaming cries of agony pelting the air. "Midna! Are you alright?" she called out.

Lucina skidded to a stop, eying the tree carefully. A crude pair of letters was written into the bark of the tree, drenched in a putrid violet. The letters _FK_ stared back at the bluenette, crippling nausea washing over her. She clutched her head, mind muddled and blurred as memories from her parents resounded off the walls of her brain.

There was once a killer that lived near the resort, went by the calling of The Freak. Killed many people in various ways, burning, shooting, stabbed in the back, poison... multiple things could lead to his victims deaths. Wherever he went, he left the insignia of FK in a nearby object. People couldn't remove it, nor did anyone try to. Bile rose in Lucina's throat. Either the sign was old and from back when the killer was supposedly caught... or it was fresh.

She touched the crude marking, paint smearing between her hands. Lucina's eyes widened... this sign was newly made if the coating didn't try or fade. This... this person could've had her sister.

"MIDNA!" Lucina screamed.

"Lucy?" Midna's voice called out.

The bluenette blinked rapidly, running in the direction of the noise. Lucina ducked under another tree branch, shrieked as various forms of wildlife made its way through the road. Squeezing between a crevice that consisted of two boulders smashed together, she found Midna. The poor girl was in a ball, rocking back and forth while she cried quietly to herself.

"Oh my goodness, you must be freezing." Lucina took of her coat, giving it to her sister.

Midna took it graciously, hiccupping at the same moment. "My goodness, I'm so dumb. Aren't I just the stupidest person on the planet?"

"You're not stupid. When we get back, I'll talk to them in the most severe way possible." the bluenette said firmly.

"Can you be so sure of that, Lucina Husen?" a third voice entered the surrounding.

The two sisters froze, whipping breezes and the cracks of thunder unable to ease their fear. "Who said that?" Lucina demanded furiously.

"Please don't be another stupid prank of yours, guys... I can't handle them anymore," Midna burst into tears once more. "Please!"

"Oh no, this isn't a prank. But much rather real life. Head start?" the stranger called out from an unseen location.

"What kind of sick fuck do you think you are?" Lucina challenged.

"Ten... nine... eight-" the voice began counting down.

The Husen sisters didn't need to be told twice. Their doom was not going to come at the hands of this fool. Midna sprinted off, faster than she ever ran in her life. Lucina panicked, sweat beading down her face. She managed to pull out her phone from her jacket, turning it on and somehow in her fumbled running, getting the camera light to stay on. The two passed by the jagged cliff where Lucina almost fell off before stopping.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Midna shrieked.

The stranger stood in their path, two pistols clutched in their hands. The voice sounded male, chuckling and laughing. "Why would I let my new prey run off so easily?"

"Marth, kindly fuck off!" Lucina yelled.

"Marth Lowell? You're mistaking me for Marth Lowell? Oh, dear Lucy, things must be straightened out." the stranger advanced.

"Get back!" Midna hissed.

"Whoever you are, there must be a mistake." the bluenette said, terrified.

"Oh, I beg to differ. There is no mistake. You are exactly who I've been looking for all along. The carnival has rolled into town. The Freak makes his grand reappearance. Fitting, no?" the stranger asked.

Time stopped for the Husen sisters. The Freak, the crazed psychopathic killer caught years before... was true and right in front of them. Lucina eyed her sister, the two nodded and slowly stepped forward.

"Killing us wouldn't be wise." Lucina advised.

"We must agree to disagree." Freak chuckled. In the blur of the snow and rain, she couldn't make out the killer's face.

A blinding burst of light and fire rocketed from one of the pistols clutched in the killer's hands. With a cry, Midna sank to her knees, a bullet lodged in her chest, a second that cut a hole straight through the throat. A crimson puddle spilled out of the redhead, staining the snow a violent cardinal. Lucina screamed, lunging for the killer. Freak sidestepped easily, the Husen girl falling to the pallid drift with nothing to catch her.

Lucina grunted. "You won't get away with killing my sister, you fucking freak!"

"How kind of you to call me by my name... Nice ring to it." he chortled.

Freak grabbed the bluenette by the waist, raising her high above the ground. Lucina screamed, kicking and flailing around as if her life depended on it. Which... which it did. Swinging her down, Lucina slammed into the snow, three resounding breaks releasing from her body. In multiple places, her neck shattered, spine cracking in five sections, and one for the sound of a poor head being crushed against a rock. Freak stood back to admire his work, one of beauty and true life.

" _Easiest ones so far_." he chuckled to himself. Pulling out a knife, he rubbed his eyes. Thank heaven for the blizzard mixed in with a thunderstorm. Had the girls seen his face, they'd have been asking for it. Crouching to Midna's body, he plunged the knife deep in her chest, digging the bullet farther in till a sickening splat rushed from the girl's dead corpse. Puddles of red splashed amid the pallid sheets, and Freak leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.

"Oh, you'll be the most luxurious one by far." he purred. As Freak took his time, getting _busy_ with Midna Husen, Lucina Husen soon to follow, only one thought went through his brain.

" _Two down. Ten more to go_."

* * *

 **There we are! First chapter of Pluto Vacation... *counts off fingers*... a number to go. Yeah, got them confused in my head. Probably not my finest moments of tension and other things... but it'll work for now. I don't know when the second chapter will come out, but it's gonna be in November more than likely... maybe not. Depends. Whatever the case may be, who is this illustrious Freak? Notice how he said that's there two down, and there's ten to go. Has to be a friend, right? Hmm... let's see. Thanks for reading guys! Love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	2. Chapter 2: Vanity is Only Skin Deep

**Hello everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the 2nd chapter of Pluto Vacation. Let's see, it's been two and half weeks since I've last even touched anything fiction related, including my stories. School has kicked my ass quite hard and I'm not necessarily struggling to keep up, but to just get my toes on the ground firmly. I apologize that I've been away for so long, leaving nothing new on my profile for you readers to enjoy and I'm so sorry. I also have to note that this story is no longer for Metroid-Killer's contest as my current inspirations are lacking and I've got so much more to do before this story is finished that I won't have it complete by due date, so I'm dropping out rightfully. Good luck to everyone else competing though! Here's chapter two, Vanity is Only Skin Deep.**

* * *

 ** _7:30 PM, Road to Husen Lodge, Denver Colorado, December 19th, 2015_**

 _"It's been a year. One year, and time flies by so quickly nowadays that we can't even take a moment to sit back and think about our last movements._ " Samus thought to herself, head pressed up against the frigid window of the bus taking her to the Husen Lodge, the same location where, last year as she hated to remember, sisters Lucina and Midna disappeared into a snowstorm to never be heard from again.

Of course, their disappearance was spurred by one of the worst pranks her group of friends, dare she even call them that, did. Toying with Midna's heart like that, thinking it'd get them somewhere. Disgust primarily flowed to the main ones in charge, Zelda Friedrich, Marth Lowell, Sheik Boeing, and others who so willingly participated in such a cruel joke.

She absentmindedly flipped through her phone, the bright screen hurting her eyes in the setting sky that now took an amber hue. Tapping the news station app, one that she recently downloaded, Samus Adderage took a moment to drown herself in the history of the Husen Lodge and its surrounding area. A cheerful, happy-go-lucky voice broke through the static.

"Howdy everyone, it's Pit Icarus here, live from 99.5, ready to get down and dirty on current news and stories that have been brought up through the week." the chipper announcer spoke.

Samus rolled her eyes. " _Just what I need, huh?"_

"Today, as the Denver area knows full and well... is the tragic case of the Husen sisters, Lucina and Midna Husen who are still missing." Pit continued on.

That caused the blonde to sit up, wide eyed and startled, shock coursing through her veins. _Case..._ _missing_. "Unbelievable..." she whispered.

"For some background info on this case, we have here detective Rosalina Vinnus, one of the two officers charged with the study of this case. Rosalina, welcome." the radio host greeted.

A warmer, female voice this time, poked onto the air, rich and sweet. "Thanks for having me Pit."

"Anytime. But, now, care to refresh our audience's mind on what I've mentioned?"

"Of course," Rosalina agreed. "Last year, on this date, early in the morning, sisters Lucina and Midna Husen vanished into a snowstorm at their parents lodge, visiting with friends for a simple getaway. After nearly half an hour, the duo never returned to the cottage, frightening the teens who stayed behind. Calling 911, we did a search of the area, and we have not found them since."

"Isn't this the same mountain that the old serial killer only known as The Freak stayed at for residence?"

"Yes, that's the more unsettling factoid about this case. However, his staying was before the Husen family even decided to make the ski resort. Long ago in the 80's. The Freak killer would be in his near sixties or seventies now, should that be the case. There was a person of interest in this case, but that person's whereabouts to our agency is currently unknown."

"There still is the old sanatorium on the mountain. Could that be a place for concern?"

"Not necessarily. It's abandonment happened during the construction of the ski resort."

"What would you say was the cause of the girls disappearing? Foul play?" Pit prompted.

"Possibly," Rosalina mused. "However, that's just a theory. There could be a multitude of reasons behind any such thing vanishing on the face of the planet. We have many ideas, foul play included, but the simple case of getting lost and not having cell surface is one. It was near below zero on the mountain that night, the girls could have died from hypothermia. A wild animal could have killed them, no matter how distasteful that is. One may have fallen and gotten hurt, immobile from pain. The answers are very slim, but it just requires patience."

"All things do. Well, thank you very much for your time, detective."

"And thank you for inviting me to say a few words." the officer acknowledged. A break of static disrupted the normal flow of the show, before returning to normal.

Pit cleared his throat. "And, with an extra tidbit to give to you viewers, a video was posted earlier today by the only surviving child of the Husen family, Kuro. We're going to play the audio, and those tuning on cellular devices, the actual footage of the reel filmed this morning. Here's Kuro Husen."

The regular black screen was replaced by a video, like Pit had said. Samus furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make out Kuro on screen when suddenly a face popped into view, scaring her half to death. She let her freak out settle quietly so she could assess her friend. The two hadn't talked for over a month, it was the first time in a long while where Samus would get such a good look.

Kuro's amber eyes shone with the gleam of an insect in amber, a radiant smile, which was rare, glistening across his face. His normally untidy midnight hair was combed for this occasion, streaks of violent amaranthine dapping the tips. Samus frowned as she watched his lips move, yet no sound came out. Kuro must've cussed on screen before walking back to the camera that was filming his talk.

"... Lemme try that again," Kuro's voice popped through Samus's headphones, startling her again. She scoffed. "Ah, much better," the Husen child chortled, before stepping back into frame. "Welcome!" he shouted.

Samus silently clapped in her head. " _This'll be momentous. I can already tell_."

"Friends and fans," Kuro was speaking, overriding the blonde's thoughts, "I have to say hello for the thousandth time. It's been quite awhile since activity has been spotted here on this account, but those desolate days are no more. This is the day where I happily announce the return of the Husen Winter Vacation getaway! I've been stoked for this, more than any of you watching know," he grinned, raising his hands in the air as if to signal 'raise the roof'. "My heart has been beating so fast for this moment."

"I bet it has." Samus giggled aloud.

"First off, I am super excited to welcome back all my pals."

" _Pals? Might not be the best word to use..._ "

"I know, I know... it would be respectful of me to address the elephant in the room. Lucina and Midna, my sisters, will not be returning. They have not been found, and I can't give an exact on when or _if_ they will be. I can assure the rest of you, those that have least been thinking about me, that I'm fine. Having my friends all around me will ensure that, as well."

"We can only hope, we can only hope." Samus said.

"People come to me and give their condolences, pretty much useless or the same old same old as I don't need it anymore. I've found other ways to grieve," Kuro stated. "It would mean so much to Lucina and Midna that we, counting eleven total, are all together thinking of them. I, out of all the things during this vacation, just want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you, okay? We'll make memories that none of us will ever be able to forget," he grinned, the somber tone of the video brightening in a flash. A wicked smile, one that terrified the blonde currently sitting in a bus seat, rippled across his face. Kuro did a fist pump. "All I request tonight, you guys, if you're watching, is that we party like we're fucking porn stars! Let's get it!"

The screen turned to black once more, meaning that the reel was over. Samus turned her phone off, removing her headphones from the jack. Pressing her face against the window, she sighed. " _How much longer will this ride take, again?"_

Someone tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump. Samus whirled, about to clock the person in the face when a gentle hand grabbed the fist currently swinging at her unknown intruder.

"Easy there, easy. I was just about to ask you what was playing on your phone. I watched over the seat. No need to act like a meerkat on me, do you?" a second voice on the bus said, calmingly.

"I haven't talked to you for that long on the bus, I forgot you were even here."

"I guess I am pretty forgettable, aren't I?" the voice chuckled.

"Hell to the no, Luigi Russo. Have you met yourself?" Samus disagreed.

Said person, Luigi Russo, rubbed the back of his neck, almost wanting to nod along to the complement. He laughed weakly.

Samus smiled to herself, going back to face the front of the bus. "I see that you have a mustache growing in, or are my eyes tricking me?"

"Hoohoo, you wish it was deception, don't you?" Luigi exclaimed triumphantly. His azure eyes twinkled mischievously, something was always up his sleeve. His oak hair was covered once more by a green cap with the pallid insignia 'L' on the front. More emerald winter clothing donned his body, new tan lace-ups at his feet. The length of his hair was a tad bit longer, a little bit more wild than usual. A bushy, brown mustache spread itself from one cheek to the other on his face, making Luigi look ages older than usual.

"So what if I do?"

"Then it's perfectly fine by me," he said. "But, answer my question. What was it that you were watching? I never knew you took a liking to Kuro's Facebook streams and things."

"I don't."

"Why was it playing on your phone then, if you say you don't like it Miss I-Don't-Watch-Kuro's-Facebook-Videos."

"For your information, I was listening to a radio broadcast," Samus turned beet red. "The host wanted to show one of Kuro's videos, and since I'm viewing this on mobile, I was able to actually see it. Happy now?"

Luigi still prodded despite the answer. "What was the broadcast on?"

"The Husen family."

"Anything more elaborate?"

"Lucina and Midna's disappearance."

The green-clad teen in the backseat went silent, his face crestfallen. "Talk about beating a dead horse over and over again, huh?"

"I guess you could say that." Samus shrugged.

"Anything special about it?"

"Nothing that we haven't heard before."

"Had a feeling."

"Do you have any idea what time we'll be reaching the resort? I forgot how long it took to get up there, damn." Samus muttered.

Luigi checked his phone. "Should get there in about half an hour. Take a nap, if you want. I'm going to listen to that broadcast you told me about. Can't be anything too terrible, right?"

"Knock yourself out." Samus rolled her eyes, resting her had against the frosty windowpane.

Dreams of ice crystals and earthquakes visited her during the passing slumber.

* * *

 _ **8:30 PM, Husen Family Ski Resort, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Luigi was the first person of the duo off the bus, taking the quick opportunity to stretch his legs and give out a hearty yawn. Samus handed the bus driver a twenty, paying for her and his fare. She stepped into the snow lauded ground, soft crunching noises echoing into the air as her hiking boots smashed the icy ground. The bus roared to life and sped away, leaving a wake of smoky exhaust in its trail.

The blonde coughed, swiping grime and dirt out of her hair. Luigi stood, hands on his hips, staring up at the hanging sign over the entrance to the resort.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Luigi nodded.

"You mean the sign?" Samus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"It's just a sign."

" _Just_ a sign?" he scoffed.

"How about... wooden piece with a word on it hanging over snow. Better?"

"This sign, my dear Adderage is a greeting card to the most wonderful resort on the planet!"

"You only say that because you and Kuro are best friends," Samus pointed out. "Don't know if that'd be the case should the friendship be otherwise."

"Touché." Luigi smirked.

"Probably should get moving, huh? Dying of hypothermia is not the way we want to go."

"Roger, roger." the green clad teen laughed.

The two walked on in silence, moreso to just observe the beauty of nature and its amazing characteristics that gave it such a name. The sun had completely set, the sky a rich and impressive navy blue as the high elevation meant a better and closer view of the faraway stars. The night twinkled, glittering with multiple constellations that gave personality to a quiet presence. A daft wind blew through the vicinity, causing the two friends to hug their sides tight. Luigi's mind drifted to thoughts of hot cocoa, and hugging one particular person. He hated to admit it, but he had a growing crush on Peach Tydal, someone he had gotten much closer to over the intermediate period of last year to now. Samus let her thoughts wander aimlessly. She contemplated, more than anything, on how she'd feel seeing the others again. Kuro had the possibility to be some glass cannon, Sheik and Zelda would more than likely be smug and bitchy... she didn't even want to imagine how Marth was- knowing his willful participation spurred a horrendous tragedy.

A gate stood in the way of the duo, one that led to the cable car station of the resort, which would help take them to the top of the mountain where their main lodge for the party sat. Luigi walked up to it, yanking on the metal bars. A reverberating clang echoed through the area, but the gate stood solid and didn't open. A pallid piece of paper fell from above to the snow, causing Samus even with her 20/20 vision to blink rapidly at the ground to find the note.

She seized it, with her eyes and hands, lifting it up from a snow bank. "What's it say?" Luigi asked.

"Gate's busted. Have to climb around." Samus read, her face twisting into a scowl.

"From?"

"Red." she stuck her tongue out, flipping the note over. Indeed, written in fancy manuscript, was the name _Red Kyne_.

"Typical." Luigi shrugged.

"Guess we really do have to climb over. This ought to suck."

"Or it could open from the other side. Ever thought of that?"

"A gate, when it doesn't work one way, won't work the other way. Simple logic, Russo."

Luigi, who hated being called by his last name by anyone other than his parents, stuck out his tongue. Samus ignored him, instead opting to climb up and over the wall. " _Come on, one year of gymnastics... don't fail me now_." she pleaded to herself. Taking a running head start, she leaped up and grabbed onto a rock wedged out of the formation. She cussed, her fingers barely glancing the stone as she plopped into the snow.

"Why can't you just climb it like a normal person?"

"Do I look normal to you?" she retorted.

"Good point."

Samus sighed, cracking her neck and wrists. The laxity in her joints felt relaxing, allowed her more mobility. Running towards the wall again, she hungrily, if her actions could be described in such a manner, clamped onto a stone, resembling a spider latched to a boulder. Hoisting herself up to where her feet could be placed comfortably on other rocks, she climbed the about seven foot wall till she was sitting cozily on the snowy top.

"Come on trooper!" she called at Luigi from below.

He scowled, taking the more pleasant route, and just to be mean, climbed up the other side of the wall, rather than the right, but the left. For a total whopping minute and a half, did the two then drop over to the other side. Samus brushed more snow off her pants, Luigi shuddering heavily from the coldness that covered his body.

"Why can't Kuro just hold these parties in the summer? When no one comes... it's _actually_ warm, and we're not bundled up heavier than a soldier."

"He'll do that whenever you stop complaining." Samus smirked.

The two walked away from the gate, seeing the cable car station up ahead. Lowly dimmed lights kept the rather small station company, where no one else was to be seen. Two benches were under the station's awning, yet no one was to be seen. Samus eyed a backpack sitting on one of the benches, a phone sticking out of one of the pouches.

"Isn't that Red's bag?" Luigi asked.

"Yeah. I think so."

"His items are here, but not said person. Odd."

"He left his phone. Shouldn't have gone far."

"Will you look at his phone? Seems to be ringing."

"Luigi, no! That's snooping," Samus scoffed. "Besides, it's rude. Impolite... millions of other words." She promptly zipped up the bag, shoving the phone deeper into the carrier.

"For a minute there I thought you were honestly going to see who was calling me." a third voice entered the scene.

The two friends whirled to see Red Kyne, leaned up against the side of the station. His trademark cardinal and beige cap was stuck over his bushy head of mahogany hair, somewhat lighter than Luigi's tone. Two piercing diamond eyes gazed from under the bill of his hat, the darkness surrounding his corner making the ambiance even more deadly.

"He _was_ going to. I put a stop to it." the blonde of the trio pointed.

"It was just a helpful suggestion." Luigi held his hands up in innocence.

"How long have you been waiting?" Samus asked the newly arrived friend of the group.

"About ten minutes. Called Kuro to have him send the cable car down. Won't be here for another five minutes or so." Red answered.

The boy in green groaned. "How long will this go on for?"

"As long as you make it." the other two responded giggling.

Red wised up moments later, a bright idea turning on some imaginary bulb. "Hey, while I was waiting, I found something kinda amazing. Since we've got time to kill, why don't you see it for yourself?"

"Details?" Samus prodded.

"It'll blow your mind." was all the red capped male responded.

"That was so descriptive." Luigi muttered sarcastically.

Red turned to walk around the station, Samus and Luigi curiously following him. Whenever it came to surprises, this particular group of friends were notorious for pulling out all the stops with each one, causing heavy reciprocations to made later on. Samus had never seen the back of the cable car station, mainly for she never needed to. The thick clump of trees seemed to tighten, making the forest beyond seem opaque.

A clearing opened up behind the lone steel structure, which then made Red turn around, arms to the sky. "Tada!" he chuckled.

Luigi whistled. "This is sick."

"I- what?" Samus started, then abruptly frowned.

"What's wrong? You seem confused." Red said.

"Well- yeah," the blonde nodded. "What's this even doing here?"

"It's cool!" Luigi defended the new zone.

"Sure, call it whatever you wish. But, why is a shooting range at the base of a ski lodge?" Samus reiterated.

"Have you ever met Kuro's dad?" Red asked.

"Who hasn't?"

"Well, the Husen family sees him to be like Grizzly Adams or some soldier from Call of Duty. Decided that when building this place, they'd be built a shooting range. Guns for him, archery for the ones who had a distaste for metallic weapons and the like."

"So, I suppose you want to get off some steam by firing bullets smaller than the size of my pinkie at sandbags and beer bottles?" Samus laughed.

"She knows me so well, doesn't she?" Red nodded, eyeing Luigi.

"The archery part does sound quite interesting, should I say so myself." Luigi admitted, rubbing his chin.

"Dare yourself to take a shot?" Samus challenged.

"I sure will," Red took up the offer. "The shotgun suits me much better than some pesky bow."

The teen, who Samus noticed at the moment was chewing gum, grabbed the weapon in his right hand, lowering it to his eye level to see through the eyepiece. With bated breath, the chilling silence of Husen Ski Resort grew quieter still as Red fired a bullet, the shockwave causing him to step back nearly a foot as the kickback surprised him. To his dismay, the bullet went whizzing past a bottle perched about twenty yards away on an empty oil can.

"Good one." Luigi whistled.

Red turned scarlet. "You can do better?"

"Yeah. My father has taken me hunting more than once. I can handle myself around a gun. Can't call me quite the sharpshooter, but I'm alright."

The miffed male handed the shotgun off, standing next to Samus, grumbling and whining the whole way, which was promptly five steps. Luigi took Red's position, reloading two shots back into the barrel. Giving a mere ten seconds to line up his shots, a deafening boom rocketed from the gun as a shell shattered the same beer bottle Red looked at before. Samus opened her mouth to rebuttal when Luigi took an extra shot, hitting one of the sandbags hanging by a tree branch a good ten yards behind the oil can. Bulls-eye. Luigi grinned.

"Must admit, that shooting hand is somewhat decent." Samus said nicely.

"Far enough to call me a badass?" Luigi fared the question.

"No." Red growled.

"You're only saying that because you're pissed that you missed." the blonde of the trio pointed out.

"So what if I am?"

"Just saying." Luigi laughed. He went to take another shot when Samus turned.

"Hey, sharpshooter, our ride is here." she said.

A half whine, half moan came from the lad clad in green's throat. "Awwww come on, I was just getting the hang of it!"

"Luigi, the cable car!" Red snapped.

The trio left the shooting range as it was, Luigi frowning as he clenched his hands, miming the holding of the shotgun. Having the metal weapon between his fingers gave a thrill of sorts, an exhilarating rush not matched by many other things in the world. Peach Tydal may have been the only person to rival such a feeling- and it honestly spooked him. Was that the trait of a killer?

Samus, who made it first to the cable car station door, yanked the knob. It didn't budge. "Hey, why's this locked? Is everything around this mountain locked nowadays."

"Oh, I forgot. It needs a key," Luigi piped up, his face lightening as he dug in his jacket pocket. "Kuro mailed it to me last week, asked me to bring it."

"Why?"

"His parents found people sleeping in the station over Thanksgiving break. Rather not go through that same trouble again."

"Creepy." Red shivered.

"That's what I said when he told me," Luigi agreed. "He didn't give me any names, but Kuro seemed troubled by it. Promised him that no one would get in as long as I had the key."

"Your his lucky savior." Samus mocked.

Luigi stuck out his tongue, as he inserted the key into the lock. The door heaved open with a moan that resembled Kronos growling from Tartarus, the trio filing inside. Samus pried open the cable car door, letting Red in before her. Red and Luigi sat on the same side, Samus across from them. The cable car door shut, and after a minute or two, it groaned as it shimmed out of the station onto the durable cables that kept the teens from nearly falling to their deaths.

The three sat in a mutual tranquility. Red scratched the back of his neck, Luigi yawned, and Samus opted to staring out the window again.

A light bulb went off in the makeshift gunman of the night. "You know, Sam, did I ever tell you of how Kuro and I met?"

"No, can't say you have. I know that you're best friends and all, but beyond that, nothing."

Red chuckled. "It's quite the story Adderage, almost didn't believe it myself."

"I've known Kuro Husen since the third grade, so roughly twelve years or so. At nine years old, the two of us didn't know each other existed. He sat in the back of the class, I sat in the front by the board as my vision wasn't the best. Kuro, man he had 20/20 for he always knew what was being written on the board and often acted like our translator." Luigi explained.

"What does this do with you and him meeting each other?"

"Mario Undith, class romance man, always antagonized this girl in the same row as I. Mario sat behind the hottest girl in our school at the time, Daisy Quina. Daisy had luscious autumn leaf hair, and a smile that caused all the guys to have their knees knock together. Except for Kuro, but I don't think he dates. Anyways, poor Miss Quina, she hits puberty like three years earlier than all of the other girls, something freaky with her body that no one could explain. She had a training bra of sorts on, it peeked through her clothes. Mario, also taking the title of Monsieur Funny Guy, decided it'd be hilarious to cut the bra strands on Daisy's back in half so her bra would fall, exposing her back. He did. Our teacher promptly got pissed, and moved him up to the front. To my seat."

"So?"

"Natural selection," Red said. "Mario and Luigi traded places. Luigi was now sitting next to Kuro Husen. Bam, the two now had factual record that each existed."

"We hit it off," Luigi grinned. "Became the best of his friends. I grew close to Lucina and Midna as well, and we formed a great quartet."

"That's nice." Samus replied, although the tone in her voice seemed as if she didn't care all too much.

"It just means that some things are meant to be. Had Daisy Quina not been wearing some training bra on that day, or had she not hit puberty way ahead of the mark, he and I would probably not have met. I may not even be here today had that not happened. Or someone else entirely. Or worse, you'd be alone with Red Kyne!"

"Yeah, because I'm so terrible." Red rolled his eyes.

Samus grinned at this. "You don't know the half of it."

The trio laughed, not necessarily knowing that in just a few hours, the great moments of friendship and camaraderie would soon be their last as the night grew.

* * *

 _ **8:52 PM, Cable Car Station, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Sheik Boeing absolutely despised cold. It riddled her to the bones, causing nasty shivers and disgusting sores to sprout on her skin. In all the places, Kuro Husen and his family picked Denver, in the frigid state of Colorado as their vacation spot. And naturally, as no there was no place like home, all their gatherings happened there. Absolute _fucking_ horseshit.

She rolled her eyes, thinking of icy weather and disrupted occasions, while bopping her head to the song that played from her headphones. Jamming out to a song by some miscellaneous pop star, a loud shriek of metal on metal interrupted her music. The sound was so grating and heavy, it caused the headphones to pop out of her ears. "Seriously?" she glared at the station. The sound of a slide glass door opening and shutting caused her to stand up from the bench she was sitting on.

"New people, I guess. Time to meet and greet!"

She was the first one to get to the top, not that admitting it would do her any good. Having already said hello to Peach and Robin Jett as they came up the mountain together, there was just one, one boy that her heart was yearning for. A slamming of a fist against the glass door behind her caused her to jump. Luigi, Samus, and Red were all pushed together in a tiny corridor, waving hello.

"Are you guys having some sort of stroke?" Sheik frowned.

"The door is jammed." Red sighed.

"Let us in?" Samus opined.

Sheik breathed in and out, not truly grasping the concept of how metal could freeze over a short time and not work. Pressing the button that allowed the door to be unlocked from the outside, the trio locked inside pushed their way through, all collapsing in a heap against the snowy station floor.

"Thanks." Luigi breathed.

"Don't mention it."

"Man, it was cramped in there." Red cracked his neck, sickening sounds of bone popping that caused the blondes of the quartet to grimace.

"Metal really knows how to conduct cold," Samus shuddered. "Freezing inside that metal hallway."

"Had we not gotten your attention, why I might've been a goner." Luigi cracked a grin.

Red jumped in the action. "I may have eaten my right leg off."

"Gross!" Sheik's body shook, disgust causing her to nearly vomit. Bile burned her throat.

"That's gruesome." Samus agreed.

"How long have you been here?" Luigi asked.

"Nearly an hour. Got here first. Other than Kuro, of course," Sheik answered. "Peach and Robin have already come and made their way up. Haven't seen anyone else." She absentmindedly clutched the letter in her hands, one that she had been fidgeting with for nearly fifteen minutes.

Red's eyes brightened, and he seized the letter without a moment's opportunity. The letter's holder cussed, smacking the 'crook' in the back as he tossed it to Luigi, who caught it with glee.

"Guys..." Samus sighed in exasperation.

Sheik glared at the two boys. "Fuck you."

"Good to see you too," Red muttered. Then, to Luigi, "What's cooking?"

"Looks like dear Sheik Boeing has a crush on our dear friend Marth Lowell." he promptly read.

"So?"

"I thought Marth and Zelda were dating." Samus scratched her neck.

"The two broke up. Zel's out, and I'm in," Sheik blushed sheepishly. "He made it quite clear that they just did not hitch well. Terrible at sex apparently. Found it amusing that the blue-haired dweeb cares about contact and intimacy more than his image."

"Isn't that the same for you?" Red raised an eyebrow. The offended party gave the accuser the middle finger, both hands, both flip offs.

"Nothing wrong with that, I guess." Luigi shrugged.

Samus checked her phone. "It's getting kind of late. We should probably make our way up the lodge. You coming, Sheik?"

The blonde frowned, taking the time to look at her own cellular device. "No. I'm waiting for someone. Maybe I'll say hello to anyone else who comes by."

"Such as Marth?" the trio all asked at the same time.

"Like I said, fuck you all." came the response.

"Cheery." Red said sarcastically.

"Well, I guess we'll see you up there." Samus waved goodbye, the original trio starting to make the walk up to the lodge.

Sheik waved back. "Yeah, I guess so." she replied half-heartedly.

She sat back down on the bench, watching her friends vanish into the cloud of pallid snow. In the back of her mind, a parasitic thought ate at her. She couldn't rest the feeling that something dreadful was going to happen to them... but what the exact danger was and how it'd come about was all mystery to her. She shuddered. This wasn't the thought you were supposed to feel when on vacation. Right? It wasn't good, nor healthy.

Not as if the trouble that was going to fall upon them cared.

* * *

 **There was are, my beautiful readers. Chapter 2 of Pluto Vacation is finished, Vanity is Only Skin Deep. I had more planned for this chapter, but the story would be _WAY_ too long in one sitting, so I'm cutting back. Ironic on how I said these chapters would be excessively giant, and now I'm like, hell no lol. We'll see more characters next chapter, such as Kuro, Lucas, Robin, Peach, Link, Zelda, and Marth. Basically the rest of the crew we didn't see. The buildup will be slow, but it'll take off soon, don't you worry. Like any good horror, you build the suspense up and have fleshed characters before doing anything. I don't know when I'll get Chapter 3 out, but it'll be before the month ends, hopefully. Thanks for reading guys, and I hope to see you for Chapter 3: Love Is a Dangerous Game. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	3. Chapter 3: Love Is A Dangerous Game

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter 3 of Pluto Vacation, Love Is A Dangerous Game. This chapter, you will get to see Peach, Robin, Zelda, Link, and Marth. So, the rest of the crew minus Kuro and Lucas Next chapter we will be introduced to actually two more, and then that'll be everyone in the main cast where we can get this story to be officially on the road! I am super stoked for this story and actually can't wait for the bloodshed, no matter how nasty and awful that may sound... heh. This chapter shall have corny jokes and sayings, puns, and a whole lot of swearing, and is also a lot smaller than most. Not that many chapters will be this short, don't worry. And OOC. That's always fun. Enjoy Chapter 3!**

* * *

 ** _9:03, Road to Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015_**

"They couldn't have built the cable car station any further away from the lodge?" Zelda Friedrich asked, annoyed. She shuddered, the cold air seeping through her clothes, frosting her bones solid. Placing one finger to her face, a harsh line of smudged blush came off. She cussed. Leave it to cheap ass market make-up to come off only two hours during its use.

Link Dillon rolled his eyes, finding slight humor in the action. "Complain to him when you get the chance, okay? Because, if you don't... good lord, I'll be hearing about it till the end of time. We don't want another one of those, do we?"

"Guess not." Zelda mused, brushing her sepia hair out of her face.

The two kissed, the brunette unable to resist squeezing her boyfriend's ass. He smirked, deepening the kiss. Scents of honey, coconut butter, and the foul retching odor of damp snow lingered between the space created by the kiss. Link coughed, getting a full puff of germs in his girlfriend's face. The two split as quick as they had come together, Zelda practically freaking out.

"Ugh! Gross as fuck! Link, I thought you said that whooping cough was under control!"

"I," A cough interrupted his speech, "Thought," another cough. "So."

"Please tell me you won't be like this the whole vacation. I'll be miserable."

"Then I guess we'll be even."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll get my cough cured, and you can get your complaint settled in with the PO office inside Kuro Husen's brain. Perfect, no?"

"Wise ass."

"Call me whatever you want," Link winked. "Still your boyfriend."

" _Sure_."

"Sarcasm is real with this one."

"Are we really going to stand here and argue like children?" Zelda questioned.

"You started it."

"Smooth."

"Sarcasm is still real." Link grinned.

"Just fuck off," Zelda muttered, swearing obscenely, striding past him.

He laughed. "There's my girl."

Soon after Lucina and Midna's disappearance, Marth Lowell dropped Zelda like a piece of trash for Sheik Boeing. Bitter, she refused to even try and ameliorate the tension between her, Sheik, and her newly titled ex-boyfriend. Link, who turned out to have a liking for the crude and intelligent brunette, swooped in like some superhero, picking her up in his arms. Not even a week into their new relationship, and the two had fucked twice already in ragtag hotels around the state of Colorado.

Zelda Friedrich could be tasked with being the brains of the duo, although her thinking normally was left to be desired as she was sassy beyond words could explain. Link, the poor boy, never could get quite the advantage over her, being moreso dedicated to archery and fencing as his hobbies rather than grades. One being blonde, and the other being brunette, it made for great pictures together.

Link winced to himself, trying to life his and Zelda's bag over his shoulder. "Damn, honey, what the fuck did you put in here?"

"Just all of my necessities."

"I think the entirety of Fort Knox is in these suitcases."

"Then if that's the case, you're a rich man."

"How long did it take for your jokes to get older than Jesus?" Link teased.

"The moment you decided to open your damn mouth." Zelda bitterly spat.

She had no idea _what_ she was going to do the moment she saw sleazy, skank ass Sheik Boeing up at the lodge. Probably puke, either pull out a gun, slap her, swear incessantly... maybe all four at the same time. A strange fire burned in her veins, one fueled with rage and confusion. " _I'll probably rip that bitch's head off if I get the chance. I'll be locked up for murder. Lesser sentence of course. She deserves it._ "

"Zel, you're getting that look again." Link interrupted.

The brunette blinked. "Huh?"

"The face," he elaborated. "You know, the one where you're thinking of what to do to someone that may involve legal action. You've used it several times on me, and others, so it's commonplace where I can recognize it. What's troubling you, pumpkin dumpling?"

"What else?"

"You mean _who_ else?"

"Yes."

"Shocker." Link rubbed the back of his neck. He hated talking to her about the... the incident. Apparently she had locked herself away in a room for nearly five hours and screamed at the top of her lungs. Things were going so well, and then was just dropped like that. Not the most ideal way to spend your time getting over someone. Not like it was her fault, right?

"I'm trying to not think about it as much, but since we're getting closer... it's eating away at me."

"How about, if you ever have the desire to say something so dreadfully nasty... look at me?"

"I guess. It's a stretch." Zelda shrugged.

"Now, let's get-"

Link never got to finish his statement, as the two walked under a canopy of trees, when a body leaped out from behind the formidable plant. The two screamed at the top of their lungs, Zelda leaping into Link's arms. The few moments spent recovering from shock, were turned into rage and anger as Zelda's eyes seized up and recognized their tormentor.

"Fuck you Marth! With a caps lock fuck for effort!" Zelda screamed at her ex-boyfriend, who was currently doubled over laughing in the snow.

The bluenette stood, wiping tears from his eyes. Marth Lowell, at the age of twenty two, was one fine good looking young man. With low cut navy hair that made blueberries jealous, a smile that caused people to rivet at their joints, and a humor unlike any other... this sir was just fine. Problem was, he had a not so big heart of gold and could never decided who he loved. One day it was this girl, the next day someone else. Once, a nasty rumor that he was actually gay spread through their highschool, but it died quickly, never seeing the light again.

"That was perfect!" he crowed, clapping his hands together.

Link unclenched his fist, grabbing the bags he dropped. "Dude, I almost clocked you."

"I'm just getting into the spirit. Aren't we pranking each other to death like normal when we get there?"

"That's on Halloween," Zelda scolded. "This is near Christmas, stupid. And besides, last time we pranked someone, they went missing."

The sour mood pruned in a flash, the faces of the three scowling and twisting into remorse. Link scratched the back of his neck, sensing the obvious tension between the two, his girlfriend and her ex. The two mentioned stared each other down, the male unable to have his eyes roam her, a small peep of a smile hinting at his ghostly pale lips. Zelda was rolling her eyes every which way till Sunday, but Link knew her too well. She enjoyed being viewed as eye candy somewhat.

He cleared his throat. "Marth, look-"

"Way ahead of you," Marth cut him off. "Threesome?"

"What the fuck? Eww!" Zelda shuddered, a horrified look on her face.

Link was speechless, his face priceless- half open, eyes wide. He turned beet red. In all honesty, the idea sounded decent, but that wasn't what _he_ was getting at. "First off, no. Secondly, I don't think my _girlfriend_ ," he couldn't help but rub it in a little bit more, causing the bluenette's eyes to narrow dangerously "would approve of such dirty actions. Thirdly, my real point, before you so kindly interrupted me. I know what happened to you guys over the summer, and whatever it is, leave it alone and out the window, okay? I just want to have a good time, so making it awkward for all of us won't help."

Marth blinked, taking a second to process the information. "Uh, of course. Yeah, I totally understand."

"If you don't, I'll have to teach you."

"You don't want him doing that." Zelda agreed.

The bluenette shuffled between the two. "That's easy to get, Zel. I'm not two. I'll uh- catch you guys later. I have someone else to see."

"Sheik." the brunette of the group muttered under her breath. The couple watched as the head of blue vanished into the snow.

Link breathed, his heart slowing to a normal rate. "Well, now that we've got that out of the way-"

Zelda wasn't paying attention, suddenly she started blinking like crazy. "Hey, uh... Link? Can you take the bags the rest of the way?"

"Wh- why?"

"Because I need to go find Samus. I was texting to her on the cable car ride, and I know that she was just behind us. She shouldn't be that far down the trail."

"After all this complaining, you want to go back and find her?"

"It's important!" she insisted.

"Can't it wait till we're all inside the lodge?"

"No, actually it can't."

Link sighed. "Zel, it's getting dark, and we're almost there. Come with me, we can then go together."

"Seriously?"

"What?" he replied innocently.

Zelda scoffed. "Do you think that little of me?"

"I don't want you getting hurt-"

"Link, I'm twenty one. I think I can handle a nature trail, okay? Am I not able to be left out of your sight for more than five minutes?"

"It's not what I mean-"

" _Link!_ " Zelda's next word was a full on cry, whiny and pleading.

The blood rushed to his neck, but his smile said otherwise. "Fine. Please text me when you're done then. Who knows what's outside and down there."

"Thank you." Zelda kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, before dashing off, skipping the whole way.

Link watched her go, before shouldering the suitcases. He shook his head. " _Sometimes, I don't think I understand that woman. I guess it's perfectly normal... but for fuck's sake, she is quite the high maintenance."_ Seeing that going after her would only complicate things, he continued striding up the hill to the lodge, blissfully unaware of the backstabbing soon to come.

* * *

 _ **9:12 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Peach Tydal readjusted the current vision standards on the binoculars, flipping through another lens. "Come on, work just this one time... please?"

"The thing isn't working, still?" Robin Jett, who was leaned up against the viewing station wall, slyly asked.

"Yeah... indeed. I guess when you haven't been used since the spring, things freeze and get rusty."

"Want me to take a peek?"

"If it helps, sure." Peach shrugged, retracting from the metal sightseer.

The lodge was about half a mile up the trail, but Peach and Robin, who came together for the getaway, decided that a break would be the more... optimal selection to choose rather than exert their full strength in the last tug, only to collapse in the snow and die of hypothermia or something ridiculous of that sort. The blonde stood back skittishly, twirling a curl around her pointer finger. Her thoughts ate at her brain.

" _I know that Luigi said he'd be here. I haven't seen him walk up. Where the hell could he be?"_

Although she hated to admit it more than anything, she had the largest crush on Luigi Russo since the tenth grade. He had gone out with a girl once or twice, but never really settled. Peach had a prime opportunity to be head honcho girlfriend and maybe perhaps take top reign over his heart, sadly never hitting when the iron was out. She had no idea whether he even liked her, or was interested at that point. Everyone else in the world knew, including Red which was a surprise as he babbled everything to anyone who cared to listen. Was a godsend he hadn't already spilled the beans on her huge crush.

Peach bit her lip, before moving to her fingernails, then back to her lip. The anticipation was going to kill her before any nature worked to that step. Having Robin as company was a blessing in disguise, for without her, she'd have gone insane to her own thoughts. He drove her mad, made her leap backwards, frontwards, and between dimensions sometimes if the feeling was strong.

At the binoculars, Robin flickered between the lens settings. She could hear Peach making herself nervous, and she smiled lightly. " _Like they say_ , _a girl's best crush is her best friend._ " Turns out, she made that up herself, as no one ever, in the history of the world, said that. Peach Tydal honestly made Robin Jett irritated, as Luigi Russo made Kuro irritated. The two liked each other, cuckoo for one another, but never bothered to take the leap of courage and see if the other reciprocated the same emotions or not. It wasn't as if the end of the world depended on if the two got together, a highschool crush was just that... a highschool crush.

Robin furrowed her eyebrows together, something catching her eye. "Hey Peach," she called. "You better come and see this for yourself. I don't believe it, and I'm staring at it right now."

Growing Peach's ever so heightening curiosity, the blonde took the helm of binoculars. The lens was clear, Robin finding a way to wipe the snow and grime off without smearing the icky coating over everything else. Swiveling from side to side, Peach frowned as she was met with nothing except snowfall and trees. Usual Colorado sights in the winter, nothing more. "I- I don't see anything."

"Look again," Robin picked at her fingernails. "Zoom in some more. You'll see it eventually."

And then, Peach Tydal found her prize. An eyebrow raised, a frown growing on her face. Down the mountain, was Zelda Friedrich. And Marth Lowell. _Hugging_. "Oh."

"Exactly."

"I guess they need to check the expiration date on their big break up. Isn't she with Link now, and he's dating Sheik?"

"Supposedly." Robin shrugged.

"Guess not."

"That's why I don't love anyone."

"Huh?"

"Love," Robin repeated. "Tis a dangerous game for those involved. Nasty heartbreaks, evil doings and evil sayings. People act their worst out of love. People die out of love. People kill other people out of love. Not my ideal way of living, spending so much time focused on someone else who may at any moment drop me for the next ' _best_ ' thing, if it even exists. Don't have time to bother myself with such mundane things."

"I guess you can see it as that, I suppose." Peach mused.

"Hey ladies! Whatcha looking at?" a third voice called out from down the mountain.

Robin looked over her friend's shoulder, seeing Link running up the hill, two suitcases lugging behind him. She waved. "Hey, Link! How ya been," she shouted. Then, to Peach, "Six o'clock, we've got new intermediate boyfriend here."

Link had reached them at this point, tired and out of breath. Being in shape meant nothing to the dry Colorado air, it sucked all the life out of you and left your body to be a cold carcass. Peach was so absorbed in watching Zelda and Marth get too close for comfort that she didn't sense his arrival. When Link tapped her on the shoulder, she jumped a mile high, nearly slapping him across the face.

"Damn! Didn't mean to scare you." he apologized.

She turned scarlet. "Jeez Louise! Link, don't do that to me!"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh." Peach gritted her teeth, shoving him in the shoulder.

"I'll just stand here and pretend like _I_ didn't get that on tape." Robin snickered.

"Classy." Link grinned.

Peach heaved, before throwing her arms around the boy in a hug. "Good to see you."

He returned the embrace. "You too."

"I'd hug you," Robin spoke up, "But I'm currently uploading this video to YouTube and then Facebook as we speak."

"That reminds me, I was wanting to take a gander at seeing if the binoculars actually work," Link's face lightened. "Peach, whatcha looking at? Anything juicy with that thing?"

Peach turned pale, and she locked eyes with Robin who looked up at the same moment. Sharing a terse glance, the pallid haired girl nodded. "Uh... yeah, if you want to look, go ahead." She stepped back, looking at her feet.

Link took his turn at the sightseer, promptly cussing in a fit fifteen seconds later. "What the legitimate fuck!"

"Wh- what?" Robin frowned.

"Seriously Zel, what the hell?"

"What'd she do?" Peach shoved him out of the way. Looking through the binoculars, it could be seen that Marth was now roaming Zelda's body with his hands, the two locked in heavy kissing as he slapped her ass, she groping his dick. Link nearly threw up in his mouth.

"She's _so_ gonna get it!"

"It's probably nothing!"

"Is it ever just _nothing_ with Zelda? It's Zelda Friedrich we're talking about here." Link snarled.

"We don't know!" Robin threw her hands up in innocence.

"Son of a bitch... son of a fucking bitch." the hurt boyfriend walked off the viewing deck, cussing the whole way.

Peach and Robin locked eyes. "We done fucked up, haven't we?" Robin asked.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah... I guess we did."

* * *

 **There we are guys! Chapter 3 of Pluto Vacation; Love Is A Dangerous Game. I am sorry for such the short length, but I'm pressed on time here and it's getting very late. I know that if I didn't finish it today, on the 15th, I probably wouldn't get to work on it again till next weekend, during Thanksgiving so this time is impertinent. Thanks for reading today's chapter! What do you think is in store for Zelda and Link? How will Marth and Sheik's fates be intertwined? Are you stoked to see Lucas and Kuro next chapter? When we do get this story rolling, which we're almost there, it's a downhill landslide. Please review and let me know your thoughts! Out of the crew, who's your least and favorite characters? Anyone you don't care to see offed? Anyone you _don't_ want to see die? Sound off below! Next chapter, which may take a few more weeks to get out, is #4: Tick Tock. Love you all! See you next time! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	4. Chapter 4: Tick Tock

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation! It's been nearly two months since I've updated this last, mainly because I wasn't interested in the piece whatsoever... but now, because I'm in a new contest, Miss Randomblackberry's Mystery contest, I now have a new enlisted priority. I was already unable to have this ready for my last contest, and I don't want to fail again. Not an option! Last where we left off, Zelda and Link were all loving before Marth scared the crap out of them, and things got awkward, and Zelda went to 'see' Samus. She went to find Marth. Peach and Robin are up on the top of the mountain, looking through binoculars and find Marth and Zelda** ** _making_** **out. DUN DUN DUN! Link saw. Link's gonna murder a bitch. Haha, this time, we've got some more testy interactions between characters before getting to the real action next chapter! The murder shall start in the next chapter! Enjoy #4: Tick Tock.**

* * *

 _ **9:28 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

"I swear, this mountain feels like it gets larger and larger every time I climb it." breathed Luigi heavily, as he and his other two companions made it to the central lodging place for their stay. He eyed the grinning Kuro Husen a little bit up the way as he made this comment, waving a nagging finger back in forth while trying to maintain his breathing control.

"Uh huh. Keep believing that, buster." Red chortled, jogging past him. Damn the red capped boy and his athleticism.

Samus was much more jovial about it, and helped the green donned teen to the firm and solid ground of cobblestone pavement. "When is the last time you've even worked out? Jeez, you do seem tired..."

"I don't know... perhaps last year or even earlier..."

The attention shifted from the gasping fish Luigi Russo to Kuro Husen, the sole child left of the Husen family, the greatest family of all time. Well, not _really_ , but it was nice to be laid down with compliments. His piercing amber eyes seemed light, and given the tragic anniversary of his sister' deaths, it was a surprising change. Samus gave him a hug, happy to see he was okay. Least he was functional. "I think it's just you who feels that way..." Kuro snickered, patting Luigi on the back, causing more coughs to spring from the wheezing boy. The guy was definitely bent out of shape.

"Cell towers would also be nice." Luigi brought up, straightening himself out, a light pink tint in his cheeks.

"You give me a million and I can do that for you right now. Parental authority included."

"We _are_ getting withdrawals already, which isn't good," Red shouted from the stairs of the lodge. "I'm with Mr. Green!"

Kuro rolled his eyes only so Samus could see. "See what I have to work with here, Sam? Huh? It is killing me." For emphasis, he put his hands around his throat and mockingly pretended to choke himself.

The two had a good laugh about it, walking up. Samus waved warmly at Peach and Robin, who were both sitting on the steps, chatting softly. Link stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest, face cross, breathing low and menacing. Whatever it was... that boy was _pissed_. Perhaps that could even be an understatement. Kuro jutted his thumb at the boy. Samus understood.

"What's with him?"

"I honestly don't know," the Husen brother shrugged. "I thought you knew."

"She isn't a psychic." Robin rolled her eyes, standing up to give the blonde of the duo a hug.

Luigi scratched his neck from behind, embracing Peach. Oblivious to him, her face went a bright cardinal as soon as their arms crossed over the back. "How have you been? Made it up here alright."

"It was good. For both questions, actually." Peach stuttered, looking down at her feet. Robin and Samus gave each other a look in unison.

"Young love..." Samus muttered under her breath even though the two crushes couldn't hear her.

"I am happy to see you guys here and alright. We can spend a lot of time catching up. Be good for us all, right?" Luigi winked.

This caused the blonde, skittish girl to flat out yelp, covering her mouth and then falling down to the steps in a flurry of cloth. Everyone laughed. Red shook his head in disbelief. "The effect you have on people... my god." Luigi gave Robin a hug, before scooting by the others he had already met, to the front door of the lodge. Kuro was standing with an all too familiar blonde, one he hadn't spoken to since the vacation had ended last year in such dire straits.

The blonde recognized him first. "Russo?"

"Lucas Samuels! The one and only!" Luigi heartily called, throwing his arms around the youthful twenty year-old. Kindness came from birth, and this certain fellow exuded it in ten folds. Kuro grinned to himself at this exchange. He always liked that specific part of friendship, on how people who hadn't seen each other for a long time could lock eyes and explode in joyous noise. It warmed his heart sometimes. Just a pain his sisters couldn't be there to enjoy it like they used to.

"Look, I've got a whole line of people to say hello to, so when this is all said and done with, we can chat?" Lucas offered.

"I can accept that."

"Good. Always a pleasure," the blonde nodded. He cupped his hands around his mouth, seeing another specimen of the same hair color. "Sammy! Hey, Samus! SAMUS ADDERAGE!" Lucas called, running down the steps, nearly trampling Red and Robin as he bolted by.

Kuro looked at Luigi, chuckling the whole time. "He's quite the character, isn't he?"

"I suppose so. Are we going to get moving or what?"

"Yeah. Hold your horses Russo. We've been at the summit for only five minutes." Kuro made an 'at ease' motion with his hands.

"Look, before we start..." Luigi shuffled a foot in the snow. "I need to ask. Are you alright? Since the whole thing with your sisters and-"

"Don't even go there," the onyx haired teen interrupted his friend with a swift cut of his hand. "That is my only rule besides having fun. No one mentions last year, unless they want me chopping their body parts off or something. I know what you meant, but it still was not necessary. I invited you all back here so we could have some fun times like we used to. Two people are missing, that's all. We grieved already. Let that headache rest, okay?"

"I- uh... okay."

"Son of a bitch..." Kuro hissed, working away at the door handle.

"What's wrong?" Luigi frowned.

"Lock is iced.

"Any other way in?"

"A million ways in. Just locked."

"Don't you have like... a window you could get open or something?"

Kuro turned back to face Luigi, his face priceless. His amber eyes were questioning, angry, yet kind all at the same time. "Are you suggesting we break in?"

"It isn't breaking in if you _own_ the place, right?"

"Not if he doesn't report you..." Lucas chuckled, bouncing up the stairs again to resume his conversation with them.

"See, this blonde boy actually gets it."

"He's having trouble." Luigi explained.

"Kuro, you're turning the lock the wrong way. It goes left. Not right." Lucas deadpanned.

The world stilled then, only for the moment of hilarity that came with it. The simple turning of a lock caused more trouble than a Calculus problem. Luigi raised an eyebrow at this, though he didn't say anything. If his best friend had trouble with sometime so simple as opening doors, where did that say his mental capacity was truly at? Was he okay like he said he was? Luigi knew Kuro for a long time, Kuro Husen never lied... but things could change, just like people do. He knew that was a question for a different time.

Kuro said a long string of curse words before turning the lock the proper way, satisfied to hear a _click_ meaning his actions had successful meaning to it. Lucas patted him on the back, smiling warmly. Kuro did a little victory dance, before opening the door. He did a swiping motion of his hand to allow his friends to enter. "And now, Casa de Husen is open for business."

"Hey, look. The brick head finally knew how to work locks." Robin joked, being the first person to race by.

Lucas opened his mouth to rebuttal. "Actually it was-" His words failed, as the instigator in question had vanished into the dark main hall of the lodge. Peach, Samus, and Red trudged up together, sharing pleasantries, Link sulking after them, not saying a word. The night seemed off to a _great_ start! Not. Even. Close. Luigi gave a dutiful clap, followed by Lucas, before Kuro slammed the door shut.

Husen Family Lodge. Those three words repeated together in the same sentence once gave those who heard it warm peace and a sense of familiarity. Now, those who heard it had cold shivers sent down their spine, and the tears started flowing. When a place had the resemblance of death... not so good things happened there once it happened. There was a dry feeling sitting in the lodge, and those inside could tell. It was left exactly like Luigi remembered it last.

Cobblestone walls that lined up three stories of wooden staircases and floors. Several Native American rugs and linens were draped or hung across the wall and floors, giving anyone inside no reason to wear shoes, as their feet would be comforted by cotton and wool and other soft textiles. A desolate fireplace sat in the middle of the wall facing two of the couches in the living room. A flat screen TV used to sit there, but it was ripped off the wall it seemed, from the tangled mess of wires.

The sense of love was gone from the place. Kuro kneeled by the fireplace, fishing in his pockets for a lighter. Link sat alone on the couch, everyone else deciding to stand. Unless someone acted crazy, died, or well... _anything,_ the vacation of friends would soon come to a screeching halt. Except... it didn't last too long.

"Anybody home?" came the egotistical and boisterous voice of Marth Lowell. The boy basked in blue emerged into the living room, hair dirty, face tinted a dark purple. Robin and Peach flashed him glares, but didn't say anything. Their deep rooted hatred and disgust would mellow out and be quiet. Link's hands formed fists, he wanted to punch it pretty boy's face for more than all the money in the world. Normally, with Thing 1, came Thing 2. And there she was, right on time!

"What's up, party people?" Sheik waved, as if she won a beauty pageant or something. Robin snorted. Sheik Boeing knew nothing of real beauty, _unlike_ her.

"Hey guys..." Kuro said half-heartedly from the fire.

"Am I allowed to make myself at home?" Marth asked.

"Sure."

Sheik took a seat down at the couch. "Well..." she opted to change those plans.

The bluenette had a different idea. "I'll do just that."

Link couldn't help it. "Yeah... take a load off. Kick your feet up on the table, run around the walls stark naked... kiss a duck. Take whatever you want. KISS my girlfriend for all I care! It's all you do!" He was standing now, screaming. A tension built from zero to sixty real quickly. Sheik pursed her lips, ready to partake in whatever battle was about to go down. Before anything could get started, Lucas however, made sure to make his opinion vocal.

"Before any of you decide to start yelling and reintroduce this stupid fucking bullshit that angered me last time, let me go to sleep first. I had a very taxing day, and I really want to get to chat with you all, but if this stupid shenanigan nonsense crap is going to start five minutes in, count me out. I'm going to bed. Keep your bloodthirsty cries at a minimal. If someone gets hurt, and there is excessive bleeding... you know what to do. Call 911, yadda yadda yadda. I don't give a shit anymore. Good night." he practically preached, before turning to the staircase and stomping his way up them.

The uneasiness still sat, but Link gave an angry huff and plopped his butt right back on the couch he leaped up from. Wherever his anger lied, he'd save it for Zelda. That was the true culprit in all this. Marth gave a long sigh. "Okay..." He took a seat next to Sheik, who had sat down in the midst of Lucas's rant. Peach, Robin, Red, Luigi, and Samus all stared at the events going around them. One would be speechless in such an occasion, and they had the right to. Kuro hadn't given it any notice, grumbling at the lighter in his hands. Sheik and Marth cuddled up close to each other, the former kissing the latter on the nose. Before anyone else could say anything, in walked prime bitch.

Zelda shuddered at the sight of her ex. "Oh my gosh... guys, that is so gross. Do you really want him swallowing your face whole?"

"Zel..." sighed Link from his seat, face sinking into his hands.

Sheik locked her jaw, giving Marth a glance. She stood. "I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

"Oh... did you not hear me? Or was your slutty love making too loud?"

"I dare you to record this..." Red whispered to Luigi, who elbowed him.

"Right..." Sheik rolled her eyes.

"Nobody wants in on your territory, hun." Zelda sneered.

"You're just a bitch on crack."

"And you're a fat cow."

Sheik scoffed. "Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow."

"This isn't necessary you two..." Link tried cutting in like the good guy of it all, only for Zelda to give him the bird.

"I think you need to back off before someone makes you learn." Zelda threatened.

"I don't care what you think." Sheik dismissed the brunette.

"Least I can think. 4.0. Honor roll, bitch. Suck on that when you're trying to work your way into a job."

"Who needs a job when you've got all the natural advantages you can handle? You couldn't even buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass."

"You're such a fucking asshole!" Zelda screamed, claws a-swinging.

"Stop it! Both of you! Right now! You guys are acting like fucking lunatics!" Kuro screamed, diving in between the two girls, pushing them apart before weaves went flying and cusses were screamed. Red tried hiding his phone the best he could, Samus smacking him on the head. Peach had her mouth covered, Robin and Luigi sharing a terse glance. Link and Marth actually looked at each other and shook their heads together in unison at the dismal, atrocious behavior of girls who hated each other.

"She started it!" Sheik hissed.

"If we can't get along for more than five minutes, then perhaps coming up here was wrong. This isn't what I wanted," Kuro scolded. "I wanted us to have a nice time, being buddy alongside buddy like we used to. The death of my sisters should not change that. I am still Kuro Husen, and we're all still the same we were before. So, shut it up, and get along or I'll kick both of you out. That airplane money sure will be going to waste if I have to do that. Boyfriends won't be coming home with you _either_."

His terms were harsh, but realistic and needed. Zelda gave one last glare, before backing up. Marth let out a heavy sigh, dragging Sheik back to his lap. "That was... rather needed."

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" Kuro asked.

"Anything."

"There's a guest cabin for two up the road. You remember where it is. Not even a ten minute walk from the back door. I would like if you, Sheik, and Robin could go check it out. See if you want to stay there, unless someone is sleeping on the floor and that would make none of us happy. Sounds like a plan?"

"Sure. Anywhere without that whore." Sheik jutted a thumb at Zelda on the other side of the room. Grabbing Marth by what seemed his crotch area, she dragged him outside. Robin made a 'kill me now' gesture with her hands directed at Samus before standing up to stalk over to Kuro's side.

"You really are making me go with them?" she asked, voice incredulous.

"So they don't start the pre sex activities before they even get to a bed." Kuro explained.

"That totally wasn't needed." Zelda shuddered.

Samus stood abruptly. "I'm going to go take a bath. I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me."

Just like that, the group had already begun breaking up and dispersing. Nothing wrong with that, right? Not at all.

* * *

 ** _9:45 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver Colorado, December 19th, 2015_**

"So, you've been to this cabin before? It's what it sounded like..." Sheik said, leaning against the wooden railing on the back porch of the lodge.

"Yeah. Last year," Marth cleared his throat. "It's where I took Zel. We didn't do anything though. She's honestly terrible at that type of stuff." he added hurriedly, seeing his girlfriend's pointed glare.

The door to the outside opened, Robin stepped out, following a cheeky Kuro, who tossed Marth a pair of keys. "Hey, porn stars!"

"Porn stars?" Sheik raised an eyebrow. She had been called a many names in her youth, that was not one of them.

"I'd pay to see it." Kuro winked.

"You are really making it hard for me to not hate you." Robin groaned, practically slamming her face into the wall.

"I am sorry for kicking you out like that." the organizer of the trip apologized, making a shameless face.

"Nah, it's fine." Marth waved off the sincerity.

"Have fun with the peanut gallery." Sheik giggled.

"I'll make sure of it." Kuro winked.

The couple locked hands, turning the moment the door to the lodge shut. Robin pulled herself out of the state of bitterness and trudged down the steps after them. The cabin was literally right behind the main one, and it didn't look all too festive. "He really couldn't have done this himself..." Robin groaned, seeing how in a matter of half a mile they'd have done their mission.

"Who can blame him though? With the type of people we're friends with..." Marth scoffed. "I'd take this as a sign of good graces."

"You know, you didn't really have to dive into that argument with Zelda, back there." Robin said to Sheik as the trio started walking.

"Maybe I didn't have to. She just knows what bugs me, what drives down deep and stabs at everything I care about. I don't let those who do that walk all over me, nor my boyfriend for that matter. Zelda wanted to come in and case trouble."

"It worked." the bluenette snorted.

She slapped him on the arm. "Who's side are you on?"

"You mean the front or the back?" Marth's eyes were _very_ telling.

"Oh, that is just foul! You guys need to lower the sexual innuendos here!" Robin paled, covering her ears with her hands.

Marth kissed Sheik hard, feeling every crevice of her mouth there was to explore. He didn't care where he was or who he was with. Sure, Zelda Friedrich looked inviting, but she didn't know how to satisfy. The fiery blonde? Had spit and swear trails from a mile back, and she made for a great time. He lost his way and went back on past transgressions. He didn't mean to. No one meant to cheat. He'd tell her, Sheik that is. Just needed the right time. And he also knew Robin saw him do it. The way she glared at him, the way her lips parted whenever he and Sheik kissed. He did something bad... least he could own up to it. Zelda? She'd keep it a lie until the ends of the Earth.

In his thinking, there was the little cabin Kuro asked the trio to see. It wasn't particularly comfy, but it could work for whatever, whether it be sex, a cook out, a harmless sleepover. Anything was possible out in the winter escapades of Marth Lowell and Sheik Boeing. Chapter 938853355. He lost count on which number he had stopped taking a tally of.

Snow covered the shingled roof, collecting in moonlit patches around the steps of the front porch. A coniferous tree hung menacingly over the steps, and Robin shuddered as they passed under it. The air was cold, the view gorgeous. The moon shone in the sky with the amplifying power of the sun, which was a backwards thought when delving into the science and facts behind it all.

Marth jumbled with the keys for a moment. Finding the optimal one, the trio entered the cabin.

"Okay... now what?" Robin drawled.

"I have no idea." Sheik confessed.

This was just going to be _great_ , wasn't it?"

* * *

 ** _9:53 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015_**

"I was just about to get into the bath. What can I help you with now?" Samus asked Kuro in a passive aggressive manner, arms crossed over her chest.

Kuro raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Did you need any help with that."

"Hah, you can be a comedian," the blonde snarked. "But, seriously. What is it?"

"He wants to start up the generator down in the basement and is too afraid to go alone." Luigi said from the couch in the living room, behind them. He had his feet propped up on one of the sides, a decent sized book in his hands. On further examination, the book read _Deaths on Mountaintops- The Killer Edition_. Fitting.

"People make books about that type of stuff?" Peach couldn't believe her eyes, scanning over the book title.

The boy in green laughed. "You'd be surprised. You'd be pretty surprised."

"So, is this a date you're asking me on?" Samus winked.

Kuro blushed down to his neck. "NO! It's not anything like that, but-"

Like earlier before in the evening, the pair was once again interrupted by queen bitch overlord Zelda Friedrich. "Link!"

Poor boyfriend in question raised his head up at the calling of his name, seeing his girlfriend standing in the same exact spot she had been standing at before, during the big blowout. "What?" he whined.

"Where's my bag?" she questioned him.

"It's not there?"

"No it isn't. God, you're such a dunce. You left it down by the mountainside somewhere, didn't you?"

"Which one..." Link hated when she insulted him like that.

"The floral. Purple material, pink flowers? You don't remember it do you?" Zelda insinuated.

"Sorry. Excuse me, your highness." he rolled his eyes.

"Can you help me go get it?"

"Why can't we just leave it there and get it tomorrow, when it is much lighter outside. Nobody is on the mountain except for us, and we all know no one finds that much interest in your designer bag." Link suggested weakly. Her voice gave him a headache.

"Link Dillon!" Zelda drew a sharp intake of breath.

"Dude, just go get it." Kuro whined himself.

"Otherwise she will never shut up about it." Luigi reaffirmed.

Link sighed, running a hand through his hair. Looked like he wasn't winning this battle. There'd be more. "We'll be back soon." Zelda assured him.

"Then we can get warm?"

She smiled at him cutely. "We can get _very_ warm."

Peach stopped Link before he made another step. "This'll be a good time to ask her about the whole kissing Marth thing, as well..." she whispered lowly.

Link's eyes flared, the slight grin peeking at his cheeks from the innuendo made moments earlier vanishing into a frown. "Right." he nodded, sullenly. He grabbed his girlfriend's hand, and the duo exited out to the front of the lodge.

Silence overtook the living room again, only the sounds of Luigi turning the page in his book to fill the void. Now, all that were left in the room was Samus, Kuro, Luigi, Peach, and Red, but he had disappeared from the group shortly thereafter the cabin trio left to the kitchen, for he could already tell that the starting encounters required a few shots of tequila.

Kuro's eyes twinkled. "Does my offer still stand?"

"You being a scaredy cat, or a hopeless romantic?" Samus joked.

"Both, if that's how I can get you to play along." he smiled wickedly.

"Sometimes your jokes make me want to gouge your eyes out."

"Don't we all?" Peach opined, taking a seat on the carpet so her head was resting against Luigi's leg.

"You two should do it already." Luigi spoke up.

"Go turn on the generator in the basement?" Samus frowned.

"No. I meant sex."

Both Kuro and Samus turned a deep shade of violet, and decided then and there that it would have been the most amazing time to go and perform the dauntless task of getting the lights back on in the lodge. Down the stairs they went, where the basement awaited.

Samus observed Kuro silently, trying not to say much as he rummaged for a flashlight in numerous drawers lining the walls of the lower floors. He seemed to be a loose cannon for the evening, taking swings at those who dared ask him about Lucina or Midna, who she still missed. His amber eyes were bright, although they sometimes shifted dark. He had to be at war with himself, she concluded to herself. On one hand, he wanted to grieve, to just lose his fucking mind and see where it got him. On the other, he had to keep it together. He was the last Husen sibling alive. If he couldn't keep his cool, no one else would. Kuro Husen was the center of the eleven man group. They all loved each other, though some relationships were strained.

Kuro paused, left hand pausing above the doorknob to the door that led to the basement. "You know Samus... I've been thinking."

"About?"

"Mr. Scared Wad and Mrs. Clueless upstairs."

"You mean Luigi and Peach?" Samus frowned. The harshness wasn't needed, especially talking about such close friends. Where'd it come from?

"Yeah. They tick me off."

"What for? They haven't done anything."

"Yes, they actually have," Kuro corrected, wrenching the basement door open. The lock wasn't going to fool him a second time! "They both have apparent, _apparent_ feelings for each other, and still don't act on it. Peach just laid her head down against Luigi's exposed leg of all places to rest her head. Not a pillow, not lying down on the carpet. His leg. They hug and blush like no other when they're together, and they still don't do jack shit in that department." he shook his head in cluelessness.

"Well, maybe they just haven't gotten it yet." Samus shrugged.

"Then they need to hurry the fuck up with it. We'll all be married to each other before they decide to notice each other. You never want to be the last one to get married in a group. That's just wrong."

"Anything you have to remediate the problem?"

"Was going to give Luigi a pep talk on talking her to the bone zone, but I know he won't do it."

"The _bone zone_? What kind of fucked up place is that?"

"You know... don't you," Kuro furrowed his eyebrows together. "Putting the ham into the bread. Make some snow angels. Rip off the parkas... I wanted them to have sex!"

"That would have been perfect to just say it right then and there, you realize." Samus pointed out.

"Maybe we needed some elaboration on my part."

"I bet you we needed _none_ of that."

The two had found the generator, broiler and all that snazzy stuff in one little lucky spot down in the basement. The two coughed. From the looks of things, the place hadn't been cleaned in years, nor had there been a checkup for the aroma of the world below the ground. It stunk with the fumes of a skunk, moldy pizza, and far worse things Samus would choose not to describe if given the chance later to tell someone of the time she and Kuro went lurking into the basement.

"So, what do we have to exactly, with this... thing?" she asked, hands motioning over the breaker.

"Yeah. We just need to reattach a few wires, and fire up the generator. First grade stuff." Kuro teased.

"Sounds complicated."

"Not as hard as you think," he assured her. He lowered himself to one knee, opening the breaker. "Would you mind showing the light over the center of this so I can see what I'm doing?"

"Sure." Samus agreed.

He worked away, the halcyon beam illuminating the dark chest with an eerie, ghostly feel. The basement was cold too. Whoever ran the temperature unit upstairs loved keeping the place more frigid than an ice block. It was almost as if a malevolent spirit resided down there. As Kuro worked, Samus noticed his hands. They were muscular, even in the joints. They were also dirty. Dark crimson splotches and onyx lines of soil ran underneath his fingertips. She raised an eyebrow. This was different.

Kuro stepped back to admire his work. "There."

The sound of a can being kicked over echoed throughout out the basement. "Did you hear that?" she asked him, uneasy.

"Probably a rat. We are in the basement, after all."

Samus gave Kuro the flashlight, eyeing something sticking out behind the boiler. Walking towards it, she saw the sleek and slim figure of a baseball bat. She picked it up. The weight surprised her, Samus almost dropped it immediately. It seemed brand new, given the glossy tan shine on the wood, with an emblazoned _F_ in the middle of the bat. "Baseball in the snow?" she joked.

Kuro looked up at the sound of her voice. "Huh? Oh, that. Yeah... not in the winter times, obviously. In the summer, couple years back, sometimes we'd come up here and play games out in the yard. Daisy flowers would grow on the grass, that bright sun. Good times, I tell you. Just me, my mother, my father, Midna, and Lucin-" he stopped short, shaking his head. "Like I said... we used to."

She silently kicked herself for being so stupid, bringing up a seemingly harmless activity such as sports. " _You just ruined everything_."

He didn't look at her, instead starting up a knob on the boiler. It rumbled down low, and the lights in the basement flickered on. Kuro turned to her and high fived Samus. Their camaraderie would be noteworthy. "Thirty love." she said.

Kuro frowned. "What? Where did you get the first point?"

"Doesn't start at thirty?"

"No. Fifteen."

"Oh... well..." Samus hung her head low.

At this, a low rumble came from the basement. This was no knocked over can, or a simple rat. Whatever this was, it was guttural and menacing. The two froze, eyes searching for whatever it could be. The noise continued, this time repeating. " _Rather creepy_..." Kuro thought. He inched forward, slowly, ever so slowly. His hand was moving for the bat.

"Kuro..." Samus whispered, getting closer to her friend.

"What?"

"The beat is like... weirdly regular." she noticed.

He blinked. "Nothing- nothing regular about it."

"Perhaps we should check it out." Samus suggested.

"Why?" Kuro questioned her motives. His heart did a little flutter as her hands wrapped around his back arm, as the two inched forward in the basement towards where the sound was coming from.

"Well... what if it is a pipe about to bust or-"

"Highly unlikely."

"Problem with the furnace?"

"Higher chance of finding aliens on Mars." Kuro shot back.

"If it was me, I wouldn't want this place burning down on my watch- OH MY GOD!" Samus said, before unleashing a scream.

The reason she screamed was because, as the two moved closer to the noise, someone with a knife had lunged out from behind a shelf of paints and other mechanical items. A low cry came from the stranger, the blade missing Kuro where his foot would have been. The two turned, bolting for the door.

"Run!" Kuro yelled. There was a mattress propped up against the wall, which he threw down as they ran be.

"Who is that?"

"I don't know!"

The stranger tripped over the mattress. "Fuck you!"

Samus and Kuro thundered up the steps to the basement door, where she kicked and wrenched at it with futile, feverish strength. It didn't budge. "What the fuck? Why are these doors are always locked? She kicked at it again."

"Doors are locked to keep out strangers..." Kuro cried weakly.

Their attacker... or whomever it was had stopped in front of them, stepping up to them closer and closer, blade dancing back and forth. The person's face was covered by a hood and a hockey mask, so their attacker would remain a mystery, only until... the mask came off. "Gotcha!" cried Red eagerly, dropping the weapon to the ground.

Kuro and Samus looked at each other, then back at Red before screaming, "What the _fuck_ Kyne!"

"Why would you do that?" Samus groveled.

"There was all this amazing movie crap down here. A mask, fake weapons, this robe. Was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?" Red's face was pure innocence.

"I cannot believe you," the blonde griped. Then, she whirled on Kuro. "Were you in on this putz?" she demanded, thumping him in the arm.

"No... but I wish I was. That was too good." Kuro laughed, fist bumping Red.

Samus didn't even wait for the door to be unlocked by a key. She slammed her foot into it as hard as she could, splintering off the lock and everything else necessary with it. She stepped into the hall. "You guys are royally fucked in the morning!" she hollered.

"No way. Admit it. You were too scared."

"Kuro!"

Red doubled over laughing, then saw his hand. Somehow, the knife had cut him. Cuts lined his palms, each bleeding. Crimson rivers pooled together, and the stinging was unbearable. How he hadn't noticed before...? "Hey- hey... Kuro? I thought everything down in the basement was fake?"

"It is. Why?" the dark-haired adult frowned, placing the flashlight back on the drawer where he found it.

The hooded prankster showed him his hands. "My hands are bleeding. All I did was hold this knife, and steady myself when I tripped over the mattress. The knife glanced my palms once or twice, but they didn't hurt then."

"Are you sure you didn't trip and get the upside point of a nail?" Kuro asked.

"Positive."

Samus reshowed her face. "Hey guys, I'll admit, the prank, not the joke, was funny... but Luigi found something I think will make your day a _whole_ lot more interesting. Even though I one hundred percent disagree with it, I still think you should take a gamble."

The two boys shared a glance, jogging up the steps after her. They stood together in a line in the middle of the living room, Luigi holding something unseen behind his back, grinning wickedly.

His hands shifted to reveal a Ouija board. "Look what I've got."

"Now you've really fucking done it..." Red whispered.

"You're batshit fucking insane, I tell you." Kuro shook his head.

"I think we just found ourselves the one way ticket to the spirit realm." Luigi said, eyes darkening visibly.

* * *

 **There we are guys! That was Chapter 4 of Pluto Vacation; Tick Tock! Man, it really feels nice being back in the swing of things. It has been too long with this piece and I am super sorry about the absence. I am ready for the story to take off next chapter, as our first murder since numero uno will be coming up. But who is getting chopped? Ya'll lovelies shall find out soon enough! Did anyone notice the reference to The Freak in this chapter, during the basement scene. It is extremely subtle, but still super basic and eye catching at the same time. Blind to miss it, perhaps? What were your thoughts? Review, let me know what they are. You know I love them, and I love responding to them. It'll mean a million. Thanks you guys, for reading! I'll see you all on the flipside for Chapter 5: First Signs of Danger. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	5. Chapter 5: First Signs of Danger

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter 5 of Pluto Vacation; First Signs of Danger. We are now getting into the death of those we love, ladies and gentlemen. So for those happy to see death, it's here. I'm looking at you Metroid-Killer. Last chapter, we had Kuro and Samus bonding, Marth, Sheik, Zelda, and Link getting angry at each other for people backstabbing others and all that jazz, and that Luigi loves working with the spirits of the dead. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and we'll see everyone on the flipside.**

* * *

 _ **10:30 PM, Husen Family Guest Cabin, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Marth yawned loudly, ignoring the pointed stare from Robin as he did this. Sheik idly fumbled with her braid, flipping it from one side to other. Cold didn't even begin to describe the frigid feel of the guest cabin. For being right behind the main lodge of the resort, you'd think there'd be connecting heat valves or something of the like. Robin shuddered, trying to take her mind off of things that were in the same room as her. Peach and Luigi probably had an extremely long time to chat, perhaps curled up by a warm fire. How long was she supposed to stay here in this cabin exactly?

Deciding that now would be a good time as any, she cleared her throat. The way Marth and Sheik kept on staring at each other in the eyes without even saying word bugged her beyond belief. "Are you two just going to sit there? You too have eye fucked for the past ten minutes without a word going by, and I'm standing here picking away at my nails, as in they are the only interesting thing here. Anything romantic going to happen between you guys?"

Sheik's eyes bulged. "Well... shit, R... tell me how you really feel..." she mumbled.

Marth made a sneer. "I didn't realize you for the impatient type."

"You're so fucking disgusting," Robin snorted. "I am going to go take a walk. If I come back here and you guys haven't started sixty-nining each other yet, then let me join and it'll be some stupid threesome." She crossed her arms angrily, before wrenching open the door and jogging out into the blizzard that was wreaking havoc on the outside environment. In the distance, the main lodge looked tiny in a luminescent halo.

The cabin drowned in silence again, miniscule dust and ice particles floating around in the vacuum of the two lovers breath. Marth and Sheik locked eyes, the latter's mouth curving into a wicked smile. "I would've thought she was going to stay in here till we'd fall asleep. Hard to believe she actually suggested sex. As if we _weren't_ going to do it, but still..."

"She's never been the girlfriend type." Marth chuckled.

"I often paired her with Red. Thinking they'd often find a way to screw each other before too long." Sheik said.

"Well, since we now do have the luxury to do whatever the hell we want, where do we start?"

The blonde took a moment to think about it. "Personally, I like listening to music when I get hot and heavy... which we've done in the past..." she took a second to let her warm breath flow over the nape of her boyfriend's neck, tingles rising and goosebumps hammering his shoulders. "But... classical has come and gone in my world." Sheik patted down her jeans, frowning.

"What?"

"My phone is missing..." she sighed with anguish.

"Where'd you put it last?"

"I took it out when Zelda started getting in my face. Knew that if she'd try something, glass would get broken, blood would flow, and we'd have a nasty situation on our hands. Put it on the table. Didn't bother picking it up."

"We can have Kuro come give it to us. Or I'll go get it." Marth offered, being the somewhat good guy he knew he could be.

"No," Sheik tapped her chin. "It'll be too tiresome for someone to go out in a storm to give me my phone. Not doing that. Unfair to you, or anyone else. I wouldn't even make Zelda come out here."

"It's literally half a mile." Marth chided.

"Still a long walk. Not making an effort."

The two shifted closer to each other, Marth's hands swiftly moving to the zipper in the front of Sheik's jacket. Sheik gently played with his chest, soft fingers lacing ticklish skin, flesh that shivered when touched ever so slightly. The jacket was slung off, discarded to the ground. She moved closer than before, practically sitting in his lap so she could feel his warm, stuttering breath stir something feisty in her heart. She attached to his shoulder by the teeth, causing him cry out. The two fell onto each other.

She twirled his hair into a curl, whispering quietly. "If you think this evening is going to be slow and sweet, you have another thing coming... Mr. Presidential..."

He turned a rather peculiar shade of purple. "Sounds like my type of party. When do we start?"

"Right now." Sheik's lips made a grim smile, before kissing him forcefully, hands immediately seizing the crotch.

The sex didn't mind having an audience inside the cabin. Outside... that was a different story.

* * *

 _ **10:35 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Kuro wiped five layers of dust off the table, taking the Ouija board from Luigi's hands and snapping it in place to the center so whomever sat around it would have equal reach. "Luigi, where in the fuck did you find this?"

"Under the couch." replied the said male being questioned.

Red raised an eyebrow. "How- why was it under there?"

"Why were you looking there in the first place?" Samus asked.

Luigi blushed. "I dropped my contact down under the couch and groped around for it. Found the contact, and then my hand brushed something thin, but long. Peach watched me drag it out. I thought it'd be cool to experiment with."

"You _never_ want to experiment with one of these things." Kuro shuddered.

Samus stood up, clasping her hands together. "You know... I'd rather not. I've been through enough spooking for one night. Lucas is sleeping, Zelda and Link decided to go get Miss Prime Bitch's bag, and Robin hasn't returned with the peanut gallery. You guys have fun. I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. Good night." she waved half-heartedly, turning around to march up the stairs to the second floor of the lodge.

"Amateur." snorted the green donned boy.

"She couldn't handle a simple jump scare," Red shrugged. "I doubt she'll stand this."

"Are you in?" Luigi asked Kuro.

"I'm clearing the table, aren't I?" responded the dark-haired individual, making a ' _duh_ ' movement with his hands.

"Why the hell not?" Peach sighed, getting up from her position on the couch. Unbeknownst to them, Marth and Sheik about half a mile from their very position would be getting their hammering action on- and they'd sit down at a table to commute with the dead.

Red dragged four chairs up to the table, fixated so each willing participant would have equidistant reach to the pointer. Kuro blew off more layers of dust and grime. The board hadn't been touched for several eons, given by what its outer appearance showed. Peach stifled a yawn. It was getting late, and the last thing any of them, their friends included, needed, was a gigantic scare to cause insomnia over the whole lodge. In midnight paint, the 26 letters of the alphabet were spread out, while off to the sides were the numbers ranging from 0-9. The pointer was wooden, in the style of a square so the highlighted letter could be seen clearly through the space.

Going clockwise from Kuro, who sat at the head of table facing the couch, it went from him, to Peach, with Luigi sitting next to her, and lastly Red. The four sighed at different moments, shaking the last uncertain moments of nervousness off. No going back.

"Any directions for this thing?" Red brought up, seeing how everyone else was eager to start pointing.

"You've never used one of these before?" Luigi asked in stupefaction.

"No. Does everyone?"

"Yes." Kuro said with a straight face, before bursting out laughing.

"We all put our fingers on the pointer, and ask it questions," Peach explained. "Normally there will be a main person who will ask the questions and we see if we get a response. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you don't."

"Depends on the ambiance." Luigi butted in.

The blonde of the table nodded. "That too."

"Should we light a candle or something?" Red frowned.

"I prefer the dark. Makes me feel at home," Kuro said. "Not that I'm a psychopath or anything..." he added quickly, seeing the hesitant expressions plastered on his friends faces.

"Can we start..." Luigi whined impatiently.

"Who's going to be our medium?" replied the host of the lodge gathering.

"Peach." Red pointed.

"Why me?"

"Because, out of everyone still awake in the lodge, you haven't had a scaring or spooking. I frightened Samus and Kuro in the basement, Luigi found the spirit board, Marth and Sheik are experiencing the horrors of how their bodies act in sex, Zelda has the horror of the outside weather destroying her stuff, Link's got her wrapped around his arm. Lucas will never get any sleep around here with how much noise we produce... and Robin has got the walking lude train as company. Those are horrific experiences. You haven't had one yet. Now you can get the opportunity to."

"You can be such a bitch." Peach rolled her eyes.

"Aww... I'm glad you finally noticed."

"This is why we don't all hang out together this often anymore, you guys." Luigi chuckled.

"I thought you wanted to get started, no?" Kuro raised a questioning eyebrow, regarding the boy who sat opposite him.

"Stop rushing me."

"You're being hypocritical."

"Holy shit! Shut the fuck up!" Red screeched, slamming his palm on the table.

The group of friends squeaked into silence. Peach cleared her throat, being the first person to put a finger on the pointer. Reluctantly, Red followed suit, and to not be unmatched, Luigi joined. In an ironic twist of events, Kuro was last to join.

Slowly, but surely, the newly appointed medium of the group mustered courage and spoke. "Hello. Is anyone there?"

They all held their breaths, the pointer began to twitch. It'd shift out of position before sliding back. Then, it zapped in blinding speed to spell out YES.

"That's freaky as fuck..." Red whispered lowly.

"Shush." Luigi chided.

"Continue, Medium Tydal."

Peach closed her eyes. "Can we ask who we are speaking to?"

A low screech came from the pointer, causing the group to jump, before watching as the wooden square moved without their fingers even _touching_ it, like the normal 'rules', if they could be called that, stated. Starting with Kuro, and going in a circle in how they sat, each person read off a letter.

"Y."

"O."

"U."

"Know me..." Red finished.

"We know this person?" Peach leaned forward.

"How the fuck is this thing moving without us having our fingers near it?"

"I guess it really wanted to work..." Luigi suggested weakly.

"Ask it something else." Kuro tapped Peach on the shoulder.

She gulped, fear evident in her diamond eyes. This didn't exactly plan out the way she meant it to. "Umm... so you say that we know you? Who are you then? Why have you decided to answer our calling?"

The pointer began moving. Fast. Red tried following it with his eyes, the speed making him see fire and dizziness. He clutched his head in his hands, groaning heavily. This wasn't turning out so great.

Kuro spelled out the word that was made. "W-A-R-N-I-N-G. Guys, it's a warning."

"From who? From what?" Peach asked, eyes wide and terrified.

"Peach, calm down," Luigi assured her. "We need to know who we're communicating with. Instead of asking trivial questions, we have to get down to business."

"Ask it who it is." Red prompted.

The blonde bit her lip. "We can't heed a warning if we don't know who you are. Can you tell us who you are?" Shit hit the fan as soon as the words left her mouth. Kuro started the reading again.

"S."

"I."

"S."

"T." Red spoke, trying to figure out what the word could possibly be.

"E."

"R." Peach finished. She gasped. "Sister..." her eyes immediately locked onto Kuro, who had his hands up in frozen shock, eyes confused, mouth partly open.

"Who- whose sister?" he asked, incoherent to make a functional statement.

Luigi scoffed. "Come on... is this for real?"

"Shut up! I believe it is true," Kuro snarled. He pointed at Peach. "Ask it whose sister it is."

"Dude... it's gotta be one of yours. None of us have siblings. Least that aren't dead." Red thought about it logically, although the last bit was mumbled.

Kuro's eyes thinned. "Okay..." he nodded, accepting the fact. "Which sister is it then?"

Peach's head was spinning, but she had to do this. "Who are we speaking to? Is this Midna?" The board responded with a no, a loud _THUNK_ for emphasis.

"Well... we know it isn't her." Luigi picked at the table.

The only living sibling for the Husen family scooted his chair up to the table, hands covering the board. "Lu- Lucy? Lucina... can you hear me?" It seemed his words overtook Peach's, as the pointer responded with another YES.

Luigi felt like vomiting. "Oh... oh my god."

"I don't know where to start..." Red was finding a lot more interest in his beige cap at the moment than the board and its surrounding darkness.

"Lucina... what happened to you last year, on that night? Everyone is worried sick about you. It may seem strange, but I- I need you here with me. Taking care of all the ground work. It's been a rough last couple months without you, and I'm so sorry. I need to know firsthand from you, what happened when you and Midna went out into the woods?"

The four held their breath, each heart pound like an echoing drum in the darkness of an abyss filled with death. Peach tried to cover her face, anything to make her eyes unable to see what would be spelled, but time and time again she kept on breaking that futile resistance. Her heart lusted for answers. She needed to know. Red felt equally as guilty, cap covering his eyes every few seconds, to then be snatched up to reveal the board. Up. Down. Up. Down. Luigi and Kuro both stared at the board, one blank, the other filled with emotion. The two couldn't determine which took on what emotion. Perhaps it was mixed.

"No one ever told me this!" Kuro screamed.

Luigi shrieked. "What?"

"It was just a prank Lucina! We're so sorry!" Peach cried out, hands moving to her hair.

Red stared emptily at the pointer which had spelled _Midna. Killed. I. Was. Next._ "Guys..." his voice was lost and desperate. "What's she talking about?"

Peach shook her head back and forth. "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know."

"We just need to keep our heads, that's all. I think Lucina is telling us that someone killed her and Midna last year. Warning us about this killer." Luigi racked his brain for a possible explanation.

Kuro swallowed his fear. "Lucy... who- who killed you?"

The response made his blood go cold. _You. Already. Know. Who._

"But- we have no clue-" Red started.

Another low screech came from the board, the pointer flying like crazy to spell out one last word. "Goodbye..." Peach breathed, voice heavy, chest heaving. As soon as the words left her lips, the pointer shattered, ripped into a million tiny pieces. The board was then slashed down the middle, before a wail erupted from it before the Ouija board crumpled up together like paper machete.

Everyone stared in shock, speechlessness couldn't even start to describe what rippled through each of their hearts.

"Someone... someone killed them?" Kuro repeated to himself, looking at his hands as if they were drenched in blood.

"Holy shit..." Peach wiped away a tear.

"Luigi..." Red whispered.

"I- I don't know what to say." Luigi said truthfully, lost in how to even move.

Kuro shook his head, backing up from his chair. "No. You guys... I refuse to believe what just happened. This is bullshit. This isn't real. That wasn't Lucina we spoke to. Or anyone for that matter. I won't believe that!"

"No... Kuro, you wanted to use the spirit board!" Peach pleaded.

"I don't know... that if you somehow thought that messing with me would somehow get the grief to become a laughing matter... you guys are sorely fucking mistaken!" he screeched.

"Dude... calm down. It's not her fault." Red insisted weakly.

"I don't need this right now. You guys are so fucking full of it!" Kuro snapped angrily, storming off into a quick run the opposite stair case, the one leading to the lower floors and basement.

"Sh- should we go after him?" Peach stuttered.

"No. Give him some time." Luigi waved a weak hand.

"I don't blame him. That was crazy. Lucina practically went ballistic on us!" Red agreed.

"If you were faking it... I gotta say, that was one hell of a job."

"Neither of us were faking anything!" Peach and Red both jumped in together, hands lumped into fists, faces bright red.

"That was serious," Red shook his head. "I- I need to clear my head a bit. Get some air. That was too fucking ridiculous. You two... I suggest getting lost in some bottle of booze or something." He got up from the table, heading out into the cold and blizzard air of Denver, Colorado.

Peach and Luigi locked eyes the moment the door to the main lodge slammed shut. "Now what should we do?" Peach asked, lost in all sense of direction.

He took a long sigh. "I truthfully don't know. We can try and look into what Lucina said. She did tell us her and Midna had been killed. Murderers in the area is a place to start."

"Where could we find that out?"

"There's a library downstairs."

"But-"

"I know. Kuro went down there. Doesn't matter. We need to look in the library. See what we can find." Luigi said.

"And if we actually do find something?" Peach didn't want to think like that.

"Then we do." was all her crush answered, face grim, eyes gone dark.

* * *

 ** _11:00 PM, Husen Resort, Denver Colorado, December 19th, 2015_**

Red hugged his sides tight, trying to comb his way through the blizzard that currently howled outside, blinding his sight with pallid sheets of snow and ice. Moments of the séance flickered by. _Midna and I were killed. You already know who._ The fact that the board ripped itself to shreds, the pointer splintering into four equal pieces. No person could alter that, neither Kuro nor Luigi pulled a prank. Whatever just happened, it was _real_. Lucina and Midna were killed by someone, and that the death was offered as a warning... that person could be back.

"This wasn't exactly what I signed up for." he mumbled, shifting through the snow.

Kuro's reaction surprised him more than the actual summoning. Bitter... betrayed... but he was the devil's advocate, he wanted to use the Ouija board, knowing the testy game he'd be playing along too. The vacation was going off to a brilliant start, with everyone scattering into numerous directions, people breaking the trusts of others kept long ago. What friends they all were.

He couldn't stay out in the elements for much longer, he'd succumb to hypothermia or frostbite- which ever killed him first. Red lost track of how far he walked. He honestly, more than anything, wanted to go back home. Take a cleansing of holy water. Repent sins. Two friends were dead and now haunting them. Life was just peachy.

"In order to leave, I have to go back..." Red shuddered. He tightened his beige cap down over his head, stopping in his tracks. Was that someone running towards him? He began backing up, before tripping on a rock and falling back into the snow. He cried out, covering his face with his hands. A bright beam shone in his face as the sound of footsteps softened, whomever it was approaching his position.

The tired face of Robin Jett appeared over him, a flashlight in her hands, jacket slung over her shoulders. Her eyes brightened, but her brow furrowed at the sight of her friend crumbled up into a ball in the snow, protecting himself. Did she look like a bear or something. "Red?" she exclaimed, eyes worried. She helped him up from the ground.

Red's face relaxed as he saw who it was, a sigh escaping his lips. "Oh... hey R."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I can give you three guesses. Same can be said for you." he gave her a sly smile.

Robin huffed a tuff of hair out of her eyes. "I was sick and tired of Marth and Sheik eye fucking each other without getting it on. My rage probably mustered the hormones in blue boy's cock and now there sixty nining each other as we speak... possibly. You?"

"That was _way_ too much detail for me... never give me a mental image of our friends having sex. Ever," Red gagged. He put his hands on his knees, hanging his head low. "I needed some air. The cabin feels tighter than a locker. All tense. Were you going back?"

"Yeah... I wasn't going to stay at the guest cabin _or_ let myself get involved in some threesome. I'd prefer to keep my virginity, thank you." Robin made a face.

"Good choice."

"Why do you need some air?"

"Fucked up shit happened in that lodge," Red panted. "Luigi and Kuro are out of their fucking minds I tell you."

"What happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Red stood up straight, trying to not make eye contact. "Luigi found an Ouija board. So, since we were really bored, him, alongside Kuro, myself, and Peach, we summoned spirits. And one answered."

"Who?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Red repeated.

Robin's answer was the same. "Still try me."

"Lucina." was all the capped boy said, before turning around.

Silence, and then, "You aren't bullshitting me, are you?"

"No. We spoke to Lucina. Told us someone killed her and Midna last year, on this very night. They went missing because they're dead! Lucy warned us, and then let Kuro knows who exactly did it."

A hand went to her mouth, trying to not vomit. "Oh... that's horrible."

"You can see why I would have wanted some air."

"No kidding." Robin agreed.

"I just don't know what to do now."

"I'd second that as well."

"I-" Red opened his mouth to speak, when a louder, stronger, eviler voice cut him off.

"You, my dear friends are foolish. Running out in the snow like this, freezing to death. What would your parents say? So irresponsible these days." the voice chided. The two tensed. The voice was male.

"Who- who's there?" Robin asked to the wind, a slight stutter causing her strength to falter.

"Someone who knows you all too well."

"Give us your name!" Red declared boldly.

"You may call me... Freak." the voice decided.

"Well, _Freak,_ what do you want with us?"

"To warn you. Lucina Husen did that job already, but I'm doing it again."

"Warning us of the murderer?" Robin gulped, clutching Red's hand absentmindedly.

"Sad story, really," Freak responded in an unknown location. "Two sisters, vulnerable to all the humility and cruelty the world had to offer. One friend sits out and lets the prank happen without helping. Two try with futile meaning. Others watch. Poor, poor friends. It must be so sad, so _real_ , to have it face you again. Don't you remember? But... I'm getting off track. Lucina and Midna Husen went running, out into the woods. They ran into someone they didn't expect. That person killed them. Ruthlessly. One was shot, the other had a knife driven into her chest. You can decide who had which fate." Although the two friends couldn't see him, Red bet his lucky stars that this person was smiling.

He licked his lips. "How do you know of this?"

"I am glad you asked me, my dear Red Kyne. How do I know of this, you ask? That's because Lucina and Midna Husen were killed by a guy named Freak. Which would be me. The poor red head, that sappy bluenette met their deaths at my hands. My bullet lodged in Midna's chest, my knife desecrating Lucy's skin. Thank you for this audience, as now... the tables will be turned."

"What-" Robin began to scream, before her voice died in her throat as a new formidable shape outlined itself in the blizzard, slowly approaching.

Red let go of her hand, stepping up slowly. "Don't you dare think of getting any closer?"

Freak laughed. "Silly boy. That's what Lucina said right before they died. Shame on how insanity works. Besides, I don't need to be up close and personal with my prey. This distance will do." As soon as these words left his lips, there was a bright flicker, one of a flame.

A stream of fire, ripping a fierce cardinal, ejected from a cylinder object held in the killer's hand. It consumed Red whole, and the teen screeched as the flame licked at his skin. He collapsed into a pile of twitching flesh, smoke eroding from his body. Robin screamed, turning to run. Freak made a _tisk_ sound with his tongue. She wouldn't be getting away that easily now. He leaped forward, unsheathing the knife at his waist. He grabbed her by the hair, causing her to yelp. He always hated her voice. Freak thrusted the knife up through the middle of her neck, grinning hollowly when the blade appeared out the other end of the skin barrier. Robin's hand fruitlessly grappled at his arm, before being dropped to the snow, dead. Her eyes were open, staring with an inebriated gaze at the blood pool flowing from her ripped apart throat.

Freak wiped off the knife with two fingers, drenching the skin a putrid crimson. He licked the blood off of his fingers, grimacing. "Hers is way too salty." he concluded, putting the knife back up.

He turned around, knowing that his work now directed himself to the guest cabin, where poor old Sheik Boeing and Marth Lowell would come face to face with the reality of one angry parent... you didn't have sex on his watch and get away with it. He laughed out, letting the wind carry his voice.

" _Thank you my dear Robin Jett, for giving me that tidbit of information. Now I'll use it to scrape the skin off of the unsuspecting blonde's bones_." Freak grinned to himself. This night was just getting better and better.

* * *

 _ **11:30 PM, Husen Family Guest Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Marth zipped up his jeans, throwing back on his ruined shirt. Sheik tucked her knees closer to her chest, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. She tried putting as little pressure as possible on her butt, the soreness made everything so much more painful.

"You have had too much practice." she teased him.

"Hey, when you're a guy as fucking good looking as me, you use it to your advantage. Surprised no male has even come at me yet." Marth winked, taking pride in his 'exceptional' manhood.

The two leaned in for another kiss, but only a kiss as resuming sex would be painful for both and they didn't need that right there and then. Their lips were so close to touching, a bristle feeling could be felt at the closest points when a resounding shatter from another room in the cabin disrupted their love making.

"Marth... what is that?" Sheik asked, tightening herself more.

"Fuck," he hissed. "I- I don't know."

"Can you go find out? Please?"

"I- uh- sure." Marth nodded, getting off the couch.

The sound seemed to come from the back of the cabin, albeit which wasn't very big to begin with. He grabbed a flashlight from the cabinet next to the couch, deserting his girlfriend back in the living room. Silence was filled with a rippling howl, curtains blowing in all these various directions. He leaned around a corner to see the bathroom, the window right above it broken, a gaping hole allowing the freezing air outside to enter.

Marth crept forward slowly, wary of anything and everything in the bathroom. Leaning down as he got near the object, his eyes seized something rectangular. Picking up, he examined it. It was a phone. Namely, more important, Sheik's phone.

He could feel her presence, padded feet gently walking along the floorboards. "Honey, what is it?" her voice quivered.

"Your phone." he said, although he didn't believe it.

Sheik was reading him loud and clear, moving her head forward in a jerk. "What? How is it my phone?"

"I- I don't know," Marth shrugged. "It came in through the window. Someone had to have thrown it."

"Oh for fuck's sake... dammit," she hissed, snatching her phone from her boyfriend's grip, blood boiling. "Those selfish pricks!"

"What?"

"Those assholes probably followed us out here and videotaped the whole damn thing with my phone. Watched us make a fucking porno or something... Marth, they are assholes and you know it was probably Zelda who came up with the stupid idea as it was!" Sheik ranted.

"Babe- be rational about this!" Marth called as she strode out of the bathroom.

She wrenched open the front door to the cabin, stepping outside to the porch. It had to be Zelda. Or Robin. Or anyone who wanted to get a good fucking laugh. "Hey! Pricks! Yeah, that means you! I know you're out there! The fuck do you think you're trying to do? You want to ruin our fun that bad? We already did the good stuff, you dumb losers. Did you have fun seeing me get all the action, ungrateful sluts and whores? Huh? I'll tell you now, right now... you _can't_ ruin our good time! You can't! Marth and I just fucked! It was hot! We both had so much fun! And for those of you who filmed this, it's going to make a great pornography video! Have fun! So enjoy it, because I know he and I both did!" she finished her rant, huffing and sighing before walking back into the cabin.

Marth ran up behind her, slamming the door shut. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" he hissed.

"Give me a break." she rolled her eyes.

The two looked at each other, perhaps for another kiss. Sheik took a step forward, to then be thrown back by Marth pushing her.

There was screaming, and the loud shattering of glass. _Marth_. Marth was screaming for his damn life, a gloved hand grabbing him by the head, trying to wrench him through the window on the door. Oh fuck. Oh _fuck_! Sheik scrambled backwards on all fours as her boyfriend screamed, thrashing in the grip of whomever this attacker was. This was no prank. She leaped forward for his hands, grabbing his left before there was another resounding crack, a strong upheave and Marth was gone, taken through the door.

Sheik stood, face peering through the window. "MARTH!" she screamed.

* * *

 **Wooh boy... holy shit. That- that was crazy, huh? Was that enough death this time around? It looks like our killer Freak has offed two of the club, Robin Jett and Red Kyne. _And_ he also has come after Marth. Originally it was going to be Sheik getting grabbed, but since I want to have a powerful female character besides from Samus, this worked enough for me. I am super excited for these next few chapters, and our list of victims will slowly grow thin. What did you think of the séance, and Kuro's flip out? Any new signs pointing towards our illustrious Freak? Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you all! Bye! **


	6. Chapter 6: Murderer O' Murderer

**Hey everybody, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation, #6: Murderer O' Murderer! I am super happy to be back writing for this piece, knowing in just six more chapters we shall be finished with this tale and I can move on to bigger things, no? Last chapter, Freak has made his reappearance so to speak, and we now have two dead friends- Red Kyne and Robin Jett, but no one seemed saddened by their passing so perhaps I did a good thing by killing them. Truthfully, I have only two preset deaths in this story besides Midna and Lucina, and the others I have are done by a flip of a coin. *snicker* So enjoy this chapter you guys! Murderer O' Murderer is ready. And please, for the love of God in heaven, do _not_ turn this title into a song somehow. I _know_ it can be done.**

* * *

 _ **11:45 PM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

Peach got tired of drumming her fingers against the table, hearing the same innocuous beat roll in her heart. She stood up impatiently, going for the candlestick that lay sideways on a dresser near the stairs to the upper floors of the lodge. Luigi had gone back to reading his book, flipping between the pages of stories depicting people being eaten alive by mountain lions, or falling to their deaths from treacherous heights only because said person who died did not know how to properly arrest themselves in the icy slopes. Rule #1 when in the snow: always have a pickaxe.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw her get up. "What are you doing?"

She bit her lip, rummaging around for a lighter. "We need to do what Lucina told us to do. Go look in the library. It wouldn't hurt to check, right?"

Luigi considered this for a moment, rubbing his chin. The cabin had stilled back to a quite lull, with Red and Robin still outside in the blizzard, Samus taking her long needed bath, Lucas far away in dreamland, and Kuro still being rather pissed. The lodge needed hosts in it, breathing life forms to keep the party alive. He always wanted to be back with all of his friends, even though they were... dysfunctional at best. When everyone got mad at each other and separated? It just made a recipe for disaster.

"Well... I suppose it wouldn't. Should we wait for Red and Robin to come back?"

She shook her head in dissent. "They could be gone for who knows how long. Red really seemed upset about the séance... and I don't want him to be thrown further into this mess. Robin, well she's keeping an eye on Marth and Sheik back in the guest cabin. Lucas is asleep, Samus is in her own little world. We have Link and Zelda out to get the latter's stuff..." Peach let out a sigh. "We have the main victim in bitter fits over this. It is up to us. We need to solve this, okay?"

"I- okay." he gave in. Trying to argue would be futile. One thing this night could prove was that arguing got everyone nowhere.

Peach stood at the foot of the steps that led to the lower floor. She took a deep breath in. "I really hope no one turns out to be fucking with us."

"Do you think Lucina really was communicating with us?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know. I don't know if I wish she did, or if I wish she didn't. I want this... this nightmare to just got out of my head for once. Perhaps finding this could help?" she bit her lip again, drawing blood.

"I guess we should find out..." he kicked the floor, looking down at his shoes.

The two nodded and began to slowly walk down. Each step creaked and groaned under their weight, making Peach freeze every few seconds in anticipation, as if something was about to jump out of the wall and grab her, as if she would be thrown into a black stasis, a jutted world where time and space froze and she'd wade through screaming peoples names and searching for answers while moving the speed of an insect in amber.

Each step made a ghostly echo throughout the cabin. Luigi jumped when Peach laid a hand on his shoulder, to signal him to stop. She licked her lips, digging her heel into the wood. "Kuro looked really freaked out during the séance didn't he? At first... he seemed calm and laid back, but the moment he found we were speaking to Lucina... that façade vanished."

Luigi nodded. He could sense that much with his best friend. "Yeah... I can agree to that. He looked as if he was keeping it together... but, well... people _do_ say looks can be conceiving."

"Shouldn't we have not mentioned his sisters?" Peach had a worrisome look in her eyes.

The green capped boy shrugged. "It's because of Midna and Lucina that we both came back up here."

She shook her head in disagreement. "That's true... but we didn't come here to have a séance! Perhaps you, Red, and I took it too far."

The two stopped, as their trekking had gotten them to the library door. A fireplace had been roaring for roughly an hour, given the weak flames licking away at air particles from the scorched wood behind the metal grate. A ceiling fan spun above their heads, giving the spot right underneath it a cold atmosphere. Four bookshelves were smashed up together, books of various colors and sizes placed neatly in cuneiform rows on the wooden shelves. A carpet lay underneath their feet, an impressive Native American mural sketched on the material.

Peach opened the door and took a single step in. As her foot crossed over the threshold, she screamed. A few books from the farthest shelf flew off, smacking into the opposite wall with the strength of a silver bullet. "Ah! Luigi!" she yelped.

"Fuck! Look out!" he shouted, putting his hands protectively around her shoulders.

She ran to the place where the books came flying off the wall. "Holy crap..."

"Are you alright?" Luigi asked her concernedly, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"I- I think so. Just startled," Peach said. A glimmering in the bookshelf caught her eye. "Look."

"What?"

"There's something behind these books. Probably the reason why they were flung."

The two leaned in closer to see a shiny button, spray painted a charcoal black, embedded into the bookcase. Further examination showed that a few springs had been put in place so whenever the zone in front of the bookcase should be triggered, the books would go flying.

"Is- is that a button?" Peach cocked her head.

"I believe so."

"Should I push it? What if-"

"Wouldn't hurt to try," Luigi interrupted. "I mean, that _is_ what buttons are for, right?"

Peach stomped her foot, mind clearly torn between stilling her curiosity or whether or not her life would be in jeopardy if she made the movement to press the new object of the room. Deciding against her better judgment, _if_ it even existed for that matter, she pressed the button. A low, mechanical whirring, replaced the click made by her pushing the button, and the bookcase shifted backwards before sliding in to another shelf. A formidable hole was left in its place.

"Whoa." she breathed.

"Panel slides open and my brain has officially been mind blown." Luigi cracked a smile.

"Are we in some sort of movie or something?"

"If we are... I hope we're getting paid."

"Leave it to the Husen's to have secret fucking passages in their libraries. Only them too." Peach scowled, knowing in the back of her mind she'd have to venture into the dark tunnel.

Luigi didn't want to be so pessimistic about his best friend's family. "Perhaps they didn't even know this was here. The resort is fairly old, built back in the 50's is what I've been told. Kuro's parents happened to buy it just at the right time."

"Should- should we go in?" she asked, voice quivering.

"Sure. After you then?" he offered.

"No, nope. Not a chance. Fat one," Peach made a grim face, handing the candle to Luigi. "You go. Dark and scary places have never been my forte."

Luigi took the candle, sticking out his tongue. "Gee, thanks. Always know I can count on you, sweetheart."

"The longer we take bickering, the more time it'll take to maybe get to the bottom of things around here!"

He rolled his eyes, but decided to say nothing. Peach Tydal was a lady, and with ladies, you never fought back as they'd totally annihilate you with tears and some form of beating. Luigi took a deep breath, taking one step in. He swallowed a manly shriek as a spider scuttled across the floor and vanished into the black darkness. The hidden room wasn't very big, only had a disposed of section to the left which held a smaller shelf that surrounded a table. Shining the candle over it, Luigi's eyes danced over a picture.

"Huh? What's this..." he whispered.

The picture had three people in it- them being Kuro, Lucina, and Midna. Kuro took the middle while his sisters stood on either side of him. In a line, cerulean hair, onyx hair, and cardinal hair matched together to form a rather interesting diagram as the three Husen siblings smiled for the camera. Midna had some sort of ring around her finger, and there was an insignia engraved in the gold, but Luigi couldn't read it. Then he flipped the card over.

He almost dropped the candle. A warning was scrawled on the back, written in what looked dangerously close to blood.

 _Here we have Lucina Husen, Kuro Husen, and Midna Husen all posing for a family portrait. How cute. This photo was taken on December 17th, 2014. I have hunted these three for so long, and tonight I make the move. Lucina's hair would situate for a gorgeous blanket to drape over my shoulders in the winter, while I can see Midna's sleazy attitude being great for filmed pornography videos. And... my dear Kuro Husen... he's the prize worth keeping. Two years I've waited, stayed in the shadows to observe. Tonight I shall put it into action. My pretties, prepare to die._

The threat wasn't signed, but that evidence convinced Luigi whole heartedly on something else.

Peach had run in, based on when the candle had clunked against the table. She couldn't read the message clearly, but did see the writing. "Luigi- Luigi, what is that?" she questioned, voice rising into a croak.

"Holy cow..." Luigi breathed. He could feel her presence behind him. "Uh... Peach, I don't want to freak you out or anything, but... take a look at this." he turned.

Her mouth had fallen agape when she had read the first line. "Oh my god Kuro! What is that? Seriously. What the fuck is that?"

"Something I believe Lucina wanted us to find." he squeezed his eyes shut then opened them, trying to remove the bad mental image.

"The- the clue to their murder?"

"I want to say so. It's a threat."

"Let me see it! Are you kidding me," Peach said in disbelief, seizing the letter from his hands with a feverish intent. She flipped it over and read the message on the back, the color draining from her cheeks fast. "Luigi! This is serious! We need to find Kuro right now!" She turned around and ran from the library.

"Peach! Hold on a second. We don't even know where he is!" Luigi made a grab for her hand, but he instead got her and got dragged along by the heels. Her momentum was not going to stop anytime soon, especially after what she just learned.

She dragged him from the library to the other side of the bottom floor, where the smaller living room canny to the one upstairs lied. She needed to sit down, to take a moment and process things over. Nothing like this would go unnoticed, most definitely when people's lives were in stake. Back home, Peach failed all those that needed her strength. Now, there was a chance for redemption.

"Do you think someone really is after the Husen's?" she asked lowly when she stopped to take a breather, her arm feeling like it wanted to fall out of its socket.

Luigi paused to shake his hand back and forth, to get the blood flow recirculating. "If- if so... then that is honestly messed up. Would anyone we know play a prank this devilish?"

"I can't think someone would do something on that caliber, no." Peach admitted.

"Marth?"

"He's not that cruel."

"Well, look..." Luigi sighed, not knowing how to break the news to his diehard crush. "While walking up here, earlier this evening, Samus told me she felt like her and I were being stalked. At the shooting range down by the cable car station, while Red and I fired off against each other's arrogance, she observed and could practically feel another set of eyes staring at us."

"So?"

"It's something to think about."

"Are you suggesting there may be a criminal up on the mountain with us? That's not ideal!" Peach shrieked.

"With this crazy, psychopathic letter I have in my hands, it is not too far off to say perhaps there's a possibility. Since, like the threat mentions, this man is after Kuro too."

She made a face, punching him in the chest. "Luigi- if this is your way of making me feel better about the events we just witnessed, you're fired."

As soon as the words left her lips, the double set of doors next to them in the kitchen, which lied on the lower floor next to the mini living room rattled. The two turned to gaze at the door, as if their ears had deceived them. There was a loud crash, the shattering of glass, and a multitude of cuss words being flown around. The voice sounded familiar, and male. Peach ran for the doorknob, slightly opening the door.

"Do you hear that?" Luigi frowned, inching closer behind her.

"It's Kuro!" she exclaimed.

"Coming from the kitchen..." he added quickly.

"Hold on Kuro, we're coming!" Peach called. She then unleashed a scream as someone, _or_ something for that matter reached in and grabbed her by the front of her jacket, throwing her into the room. The door to the kitchen slammed shut.

"Hey, you fucker! Let her go!" Kuro roared from inside the kitchen.

Luigi raced for the doorknob, hands working at the round surface, but it was locked. Sounds of Peach being hit in the face by something echoed darkly inside his brain, and the sounds of her in pain ripped at his heart. "What- what's going on? Let me in! Peach! Kuro!"

"Get away from us..." Peach weakly hissed on the other side of the door.

Luigi braced his knuckles together, flinging himself at the door. It wavered slightly, meaning it needed more force. He slammed all his weight into the door once more, seeing it budge. His heart leaped, and the adrenaline rushed as Luigi completely tackled the door down, falling into the room. He slammed into the tile floor on the kitchen, hitting his head. "Ow. Fucking hell..." he hissed. He groggily got his feet, before feeling something slam against the back of his head. The warm feeling of blood flowed out of the wound as he saw the pipe used to club him in the back of the head clatter to the floor.

As unconsciousness slipped away from him, he saw a figure step over him, a gun in hand. Kuro and Peach were both watching in horrified shock, their reflexes too slow as the intruder grabbed Peach into a choke hold with his left, and while using the right hand, fired a bullet into Kuro's waist.

* * *

 _ **12:06 AM, Husen Family Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

Lucas Samuels would lie on his deathbed and swear to you that before he went to sleep on the night of December 19th, 2015, he told everyone in the main living room of the cabin to shut the fuck up and let him sleep, as it was all he wanted to do before seeing everyone else again in the morning on the 20th. That didn't mean to wake him up at the crack of the next day, six minutes after midnight. Some people.

A low bang caused the blonde to stir from his slumber, causing him to sit up and flicker his bed lamp light on. He rubbed his eyes, throwing off his comforter. "Are you kidding me right now? I gave them one job. Sure, they held it for roughly twenty minutes and then gave up on it. What is wrong with them?"

The lodge was eerily quiet besides the low boom he had heard earlier, something he found rather odd. Knowing Marth, Zelda, and Sheik, the three would stay up way late into the hours of the creeping dawn, partying on and blasting music from boom box speakers they stole on the trip up to the resort. Now, there was not a sound to be heard other than the dull boom that woke him seconds ago.

"What the fuck..." Lucas whispered, throwing off the blanket and sheets that kept him warm. He swung his legs out over the bed and stood up, feet hitting solid ground on the chilled wood. The door to his room laid open, the rest of the lodge's upper floors to be viewed in one quick glance. Had he left the door open before he went to sleep? He couldn't recall.

Across the other end of hall, from his position, was the guest bathroom which currently had Samus in use by the sound of water flowing into the tub. Since he had gone to sleep so early, he had no idea what transpired before he took a slumber. All he knew was that the restroom had been occupied, and it would be rather rude to interrupt whoever decided to use it.

Lucas leaned over the railing from the upstairs balcony, seeing that the living room down below had not a soul down there. The living room lay in silence, the pillows left in the same positions they were before he went upstairs, the fireplace roaring from when Kuro successfully had made it. So... where did everyone else go? He knew the main level had to be deserted, as if there had been no one in the living room, certainly they were nowhere else. The bottom floor did have a kitchen, so perhaps...

He bit his tongue. He never labeled himself as the quote unquote 'adventurous type', not by a longshot. " _It's probably just some stupid prank, like the one they always do._ " he thought to himself. Lucas knew what his friends were like. It had to be a prank. He checked himself off of a mental list he made in his head, and added an extra person to it when he reminded himself that the guest bathroom had someone in it.

His feet touched the basement level of the lodge, Lucas automatically recoiling back up a step as the cold touch frightened him, he didn't expect it to be _that_ frigid. After all, didn't the lodge have a heater. "Kuro probably forgot to turn it on like he always does..." Lucas mumbled, grabbing a flashlight that had been left from when Red had put it down earlier in the night from his prank he had delivered to Samus and Kuro.

He craned his head around the door to the mini living room, seeing the entrance to the kitchen wide open. However, the door didn't seem to be open under natural terms, something strong and forceful had bashed it open. And... was that blood on the knob? Lucas raced over to it, a hand wiping over the shiny surface. Looking at his hand, his fingertips were dipped a gleaming ruby. _Blood_.

"Oh my god! Luigi!" Lucas cried out, turning his head to see his friend, the one clad in all green, slumped in a pile on the floor. A nasty gash was strewn across the back of his head, hit by a metal pipe which lied next to Luigi's body. He leaned down to try and stir his friend when the door to the kitchen slammed shut automatically.

Lucas screamed, recoiling away from his friend, spine pressed up against the kitchen counter. His eyes searched frantically for whomever, or _whatever_ it was that caused the doors to shut. He heard a crackling from the PA system above the sink, causing the blonde to face it, hand searching for a drawer he could get open. A kitchen knife would come very in handy.

Something had been hot-wired to life, and a loud blast of a symphony played by Mozart drowned out the kitchen. Lucas paled. That was his favorite song of all time. What was it doing being played on the lodge's PA system?

"One of you fuckers better explain to me what the hell is going on here or I'm going to otherwise-" he began to yell at the top of his lungs, before the concert piece cut him off and a firmer, colder male voice spoke instead. The easiness of the syllables caused shivers to crawl down Lucas's spine.

"Hello. You must be Lucas Samuels." the stranger said warmly.

Lucas really wanted that knife now. "What- who are you? _Where_ are you?"

"You may call me Freak, if you so presume to do, Mr. Samuels," the voice replied. "I- I am somewhere you will not expect."

"I don't know who you are, or what you can possibly be doing here, but you need to explain to me right now what in the fuck is going on before I slash your dick off with the knives in the kitchen!"

Freak laughed at this. "You're such a temperamental spirit. Shame. You need to learn how to calm down. I did know that a fire lay inside that miniscule heart of yours though..."

"Shut up!"

"You cannot make me, my dear boy."

"What do you want?" Lucas could feel the tears coming on fast.

"You were here last year, weren't you not? When the party had been a tad bit larger? That is my concern. Lucina and Midna Husen vanished on the night of December 19th, 2014 out here at the Husen family lodge in Denver, Colorado. You had gone to bed before the tumultuous events that took place that evening to cater towards their disappearance. It has been a prank, something so terribly ruthless and heartless you could not agree with it."

"Ho- how do you know of all this?"

"That is not your concern."

"I demand you answer me!" Lucas screamed at the PA system.

Freak ignored the boy, who had to have nerves shot right about now. "Those two poor girls did indeed vanish, but not because they had gotten lost. Someone killed them. One died to a bullet, the other lost their life to a knife in the chest. The most shameful thing of it all is, my dear boy, was you, Lucas Samuels, had fallen asleep and missed it all. The glorious fireworks that went off with blood cascading rains- you missed them. Tis a shame."

"Why- why does this matter?"

"Simple," Although Lucas couldn't see him, he knew that this Freak or whoever the fuck he was, had to have been smiling. "I targeted the Husen children that night. Kuro, Midna, and Lucina. I want all of them dead. I missed the opportunity to get the boy, and now I'm back to finish what I started, on the night of their tragic _tragic_ anniversary where they died. But, now, I want all of the friends of theirs who missed it to get play a large part in the death of Kuro Husen. I hope you have a fun time playing, and I'll make sure to reimburse you later." Freak explained.

The voice of the PA cut out, but something behind Lucas made a sound. He turned to see a man in a mask lunge for him, a bottle in the intruder's right hand. He yelped, diving to the side as the bottle was slammed where he once stood. Lucas tried to make a run for it when a rough, gloved hand pulled him back. He kicked his attacker in the shin, but the boy might as well have been kicking a wall, as his efforts made nothing substantial happen.

Freak made a tisking noise with his tongue, before placing two fingers on a pressure point in Lucas's neck. As soon as his fingers touched the skin and pressed, the boy went limp in his arms. Lucas was flung to the floor, plopping right next to the knocked out body of Luigi.

The serial killer took a step back to admire his work, smiling with relish. " _This night just keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it?_ "

* * *

 **Wow! There we are you guys! Chapter 6 of Pluto Vacation, Murderer O' Murderer. Did this chapter have your heart thumping in anticipation? Any clout towards who this illustrious killer might be? I know that a few of you were pointing towards Lucas, Luigi, or Kuro, but since now all three males are incapacitated, Marth has been taken out of the picture for the time being, and Red is dead... all we have left is Link. Could he be the Freak? Possibly. Or is it another character entirely? You'll have to read more to find out! Thanks for reading this chapter you guys, sorry it is a tad bit shorter than what I normally put out here for you all. But, in hindsight and good news, I have breached 700k! I've written roughly 704,000 words since I started my account in July of 2013, but that only counts for all published material minus AN's. The total number of words for my stories would be more figuratively around 800 or even 900 thousand with the stuff I've deleted. I want to thank you all so much, and let's see how quick we can get to 800k! I love you all! You should expect a new chapter no later than by this Tuesday, the 26th. I love you guys so much and will see you next time for Pluto Vacation with Chapter #7; Choose Who Lives Tonight. Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	7. Chapter 7: Choose Who Lives Tonight

**Hey everybody! Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation, #7: Choose Who Lives Tonight. I am super stoked tonight to get this chapter up and ready as my week will be crazy with how many updates of stories I'm pushing forward- I have like an update every single day before this month ends. Last time we had some of the old thrown in with the new of the plotline where it isn't cliché, as now only one person can presumably... presumably be the serial killer going after all the friends, but it is time I disprove your minds again when it truthfully will not work. You guys will perhaps see this from a mile away, but then again, maybe not. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **11:40 PM, Husen Family Guest Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 19th, 2015**_

"Oh fuck! Marth!" Sheik screamed, racing out the front door of the guest lodge into the outside, where pallid bands of snow and hailing blocks of ice rained from above. Her heart pounded at a thousand miles an hour, blood roaring in her eyes, screams of her boyfriend echoing behind in a beating heart. What the fuck just happened? She put a hand to her forehead, wiping away the blood that had spilled down when the broken glass cut her face.

She stood in the snow, feet bare, wearing nothing more than a coat and her jeans. Shards of glass lay in the snow, chipped in various sizes. A few were tainted a dark crimson, causing Sheik's skin to shudder twenty times over. There was only person who's blood that could be. _Marth_. Speaking of the bluenette, there was not a trace of him anywhere, except for the yells of terror out in the distance that could only belong to one person, one she'd hate to run into and see dead. Panicking thoughts riddled through her brain, one counter arguing the other.

 _Get help. No, call 911. Wait, that is to get help! Go the lodge! Go after him! FUCK!_

Sheik swallowed her fear, racing back into the lodge. Help would not come for her and him now, it was up to her. All lodges in the winter had to have some form of defense against bears, moose, or _people_ for that very matter if something barged in during the night. She searched under the couch for it, smells of semen making her want to gag. In the act, the smell is luxurious. Outside? Be prepared to have a hazard suit and gas mask.

Her eyes lit up when she formed a fist over the sleek metal grip of a sniper rifle. She lugged it out of the placeholder under the couch, seizing a moment to notice the grandeur of the firearm. No one better mess with her now. Sheik set her ruby eyes at the door, knowing that whatever grabbed Marth was still out there. "Let's go and get my boyfriend. Fuck, I cannot believe I'm doing this..." she hissed, ignoring the pain from her forehead. Throwing the gun around her shoulder, out she ran into the night.

At least the moon in the sky was bright. Only good thing about the night, to be perfectly honest.

Sheik ran down the icy path from the cabin, ever so often hearing the bitter screams and cries from Marth in the distance. She gritted her teeth, facing the cold even that much harder. Tonight, she'd prevail over who decided to fuck with her feelings and happiness. The cold snatched her breath a few steps at a time, making her grasp her throat, squeezing the skin. Sheik went from the throat to the face, dabbing away the tears, all the sorrow and regret she felt towards something she couldn't even control. Helpless anger propelled her through the elements. Fear also became present in her stomach, strengthening and curdling over like sour milk.

What had grabbed him? _Who_ had grabbed him was the better question. Black, gloved hands had ripped her boyfriend from the cabin. Someone, not a thing. No animal had five fingers that wore gloves and grunted the way whomever this person was did. Nothing could. Humans were animals, but the gist stayed the same. All she could replay in her head was the plaguing distress Marth emitted in the moment life flashed between his eyes. She could only imagine what he had to be feeling, scared out of his wits, unable to fight back.

She stopped, coming to a fork in the road. One path branched off towards the cabin, over a makeshift bridge above a gushing and roaring river. The other directed itself further into the frosted wonderland of the forest atop the mountain, where there could be visible splotches of blood. Sheik rolled her eyes. " _Might as well give me a fucking sign or something..."_ she thought rather angrily, sprinting in that direction. Unless the attacker made a diversion, there would be no way to block the blood trail coming from Marth's body.

Sheik kept the feeling from Marth the entire evening, especially during the sex, but now it rose in her throat and threatened to make bile appear. She felt watched the entire night, and it wasn't Robin's eyes she was talking about. Something in the trees, hidden to her vision that radiated malice and evil. That person had to have been watching them the whole night, knowing what lovely and easy prey they could become. That person took Marth. Took the only one she truly cared about. The path stopped at a river, metal barrels put in the water, lodged in the dirt to keep them stationary.

"It's like hopscotch... just think that." she whispered to herself, leaping from one metal barrel to the other, a foot not daring to dip into the water save she want to meet an early death at the bottom of a waterfall or hypothermia due to the intensive exercise.

"SHEIK! Help me!" a scream, which had to come from Marth rippled through the sky, causing the blonde to freeze in her tracks. The path led to her a cliff edge, where an intense slope went down to the base, a good ten foot drop. There also lied a rocky ledge which she could shimmy down to a smaller incline, although an incline nonetheless.

She looked frantically around at where the distress call could have come from. But she was so high up... the forest was too dense. Fuck. Fuck! How could she see him? The realization smacked her in the face so hard, she almost willed to face palm from sheer stupidity. She had a gun! A sniper rifle, which thank all the merciful gods in heaven above had a scope.

"Thank you Red, thank you for the few lessons when you weren't an asshole." she thanked her lucky stars, putting the butt of the gun on her shoulder, looking through the scope. In a time when the group still had been held together by the Husen twins, Red Kyne graced his presence with Sheik Boeing in an attempt to ask her out on a date by taking her to a shooting range. The guy didn't get anywhere romantically, but for gun advice, the boy vaulted to the top spot. She'd been _good_ at it, too. People thought she had a PhD in fashion, marksman triumphed that section tenfold.

Sheik gripped the shaft of the rifle uncomfortably. It'd been a few years since she last held something so heavy besides a boy's body in her own arms, but the feeling remained all the same. Comfort. As she looked into the scope, she tried imagining the attacker resembled Zelda Friedrich. So she could rip a bullet through the fucking bitch's face, who deserved all the evil she got. Skank. Sheik missed the security of it.

"Something you give up when people decided to care when you held parties in garages," she cursed to herself. "Fuck my shortsightedness."

But then again, and she could testify in her will this, who could claim she'd use these skills to chase her kidnapped boyfriend through a snowy forest in December in a state she knew nothing about? Example none! Her heart slammed into her throat when her scope landed on gold. Marth Lowell lied out in the distance, crawling through the snow. Blood, ice, and grime coated his face, terror in his sweet navy eyes. Hair was torn to shreds, clothes ripped away and he crawled in only jeans, bare chested. He had to be freezing, almost close to dead.

Sheik had only brief moments to think about where the fuck his shirt went before something out of sight grabbed her boyfriend, dragging him through the snow at unimaginable speeds, the frightened boy screaming the whole way.

"Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_ it all to hell!" she growled, throwing the gun back over her shoulder, preparing to jump down below. Take the chase on foot once again. She needed the cardio. A few pounds at the waist did need to disappear. Nothing better than chasing after a supposed killer who grabbed a loved one you cared so desperately about.

Who in the fuck could do something so cold? Sheik shook, brain filling with thoughts of how he was already dead, he'd be mad at her for not getting rescued soon enough... anything possible in such an event like this. "No," she decided firmly, "I can do this. Keep thinking it Sheik, keep thinking it. It'll come true. Believe in the power of whatever the fuck you want to believe in!" At this moment, Sheik Boeing didn't give a shit if she sounded like a madman to anyone else.

She hit the ground, from the jump above. Snow and ice filled her jacket, making the coldness of the cabin seem like a warm memory. Pallid blankets of ice crunched underneath her feet, scooping the gun up from the ground when she let it go to make the fall more bearable. Grabbing the rifle in one quick swipe, without even taking a second to pause, Sheik resumed her frantic race.

Her hands moved over a coarse bump, meaning the gun had been dented, but seemed to be still functional. Never like the present to have the most pertinent technology fail on you. She raced forward to skid back to _another_ stop as a cliff, even larger than the first made her tracks come to a screeching halt. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, _shitting_ fuck!" Sheik yelled as the gun flew from her grasp by the sudden stop. Her balance lost momentarily, and more than just her life flashed between her eyes as she fell down. Thinking fast, she reached out desperately, a sigh of relief ripping through her as her hand managed to snag a tree limb.

She grunted as she latched onto the ice-cold wood, the momentum sending darts of agony to stab her in the back. Sheik let out a yelp, hands so feverishly wanting to relax the pain rippling in her skin, but letting go meant no saving Marth Lowell from a certain demise at the hands of this gloved fucker. "Damn it! What the fuck?" she hissed.

Then there was another scream. Marth. One so full of pain and agony and suffering, one that leeched the most empathy from her heart howling into the star studded night. Sheik's limbs began moving before she could comprehend it. _Splat_. She dropped from the tree, not minding the burning fire screaming at her pores to fucking stop, she needed to think logically about this. The sound had been so gut wrenchingly dripped with fear, her ass needed to make a move on. Run like the fucking blue hedgehog she used to love as a kid. Move it!

Her little excursion down the cliff proved to be so stupid, as the only way up was to climb up the small ledge and hoist higher into the sky, blizzards howling, the moon scowling from above. She reached the top of the rocky wall, taking a second to catch a breather. The ledge she stood at gave way, causing Sheik to scream before swearing at least in five languages like a banshee. Her body crashed into a wooden platform, musky smells of decay and old age festering in her nostrils.

Sheik got to her feet, wondering what the fuck she had landed on. "Holy... shit." she let out, taking a second to assess the damage. Nothing seemed broken, no vicarious spots of red dotting her skin anywhere. A okay! Marth? Not so much. She had landed on the roof of some building, although she couldn't really determine what it exactly was. She remembered a long time ago that Kuro mentioned something of a few mines sprung underneath the Earth back in the 40's and 50's, but they were said to be empty? Could this perhaps be...?

Another drop off, a bitten tongue, more swearing, and Sheik kept her steady pace. "Fuck this mountain. Fuck this mountain. Just, fucking hell. I hate this godforsaken place!" she roared at the sky. She wished she had taken gloves with her on the plane, it would have been a good time to have that with her at this point of her trek, then again, she had no idea.

After leaping down a third platform, Sheik took a second to see that she was running into the bottom floor of the remains of some wooden structure, dilapidated beyond belief. A high pitched cry cut off the moment of relaxation she wanted to experience, this time Marth _screaming_ in such loud and heartbreaking fear, she ran in the direction of the scream.

Sheik rounded the corner to see a flash of cerulean hair, eyes she longed to stare into one more time, arms that were scratched up. _Marth_. She reached for him, leaping with the thrusting power of a gazelle through the legs to have a wooden barn door slam shut, cutting off their reach. The brightening in his eyes when he realized who came after him, to have fear shatter that illusion with the shut door.

"Oh god. Oh god, oh my fucking god. Marth!" Sheik screamed, hands moving to the padlock. Locked, somehow from the other side. That door would not open even if she had the help of the fucking Hulk or something by her side. Turning to her side, she winced, hoping to dull the pain, before bashing in the wooden block that like such an asshole prevented further progress.

The door was flimsy, Sheik barging in quickly and tirelessly to an empty room. No Marth. No killer. Just the howling of icy wind and farm equipment. Fuck! Panic flowed into her stomach. Had she been seeing things? Bile rose in her throat, vomit threatening to appear. A full on panic attack could be felt creeping on her, Sheik knew from years of personal experience. She made a firm frown with her lips. Now was not the time to quit. Not today.

Then she heard Marth's screams - distant, faint, nearly gone due to the hoarseness of the throat, but _still_ there - and Sheik darted for the stairs she saw lining the far right wall of the barn. She took three at a time because fuck the rules, but Marth's cry for help kept a lasting, but strange hope, that all she cared about in that faint sound still existed, had blood still beating.

 _He's alive. He's alive. Marth is alive!_

The words were a desperate mantra in her head as she darted into one of the openings that led further into this dilapidated building, chasing his screams, which got louder every ten steps, doubling in volume and desperation at twenty steps.

"Ah! Sheik, help me!" Marth screamed.

"I'm coming!" she called. He sounded so close, _so fucking close_ , she could almost taste him again. She didn't know if it was because of the close proximity why she could hear him so near, or that Sheik did her job and got close to him and saved him, but she didn't give a fuck at the end of the day. She'd have her man back. She would find him, send a bullet into the bastard's brain who took him, and they'd be alright. They'd never come back to the fucking mountain again, finding other ways to interact with the group of friends who sent them that way. A whole week of cuddling and kissing, minus the sex. That's all she'd do. Marth could settle like he used to.

The corridor opened up into a wide room, drowned out in greyscale. The sides were littered with more farming materials, the stinking smell of manure and the rough feel of hay prickling her feet. Rusted things, mechanical things, all these fucking weird ass gizmos and gadgets of various size staring at her so coldly in the background. In the center of the corridor was an elevator shaft, with a grater stopped at the same level, the elevator growing into a tower which well permeated pass the roof of the wooden building.

"What the fuck? Literally..." Sheik whispered. Then she caught sight of the prone figure lying on the grater. Her heart stopped. "Marth, _Marth_! Fuck! Screaming holy fuck! Oh god no, god no... please!" she ran towards him, crouching low, but unsure of whether or not she should touch him.

Marth Lowell looked beautiful before, so wonderful and delicate that everyone would be jealous of him. Now, that façade vanished. He was pale, so pale and covered in cardinal slashes and splatters up his arms, down his back, painting his neck. He wasn't moving. She saw deep gashes in his chest, one at the crook of his nose, part of his cerulean wave missing. Ugly amaranthine and midnight colored bruises ringed his neck. Some fucker choked him.

"Please be alright, please," she squeezed her eyes shut, tears threatening to spill, heart threatening to bleed. A faint groan from her battered boyfriend cut her off, all the pain and fear evaporating with the blink of an eye, the snapping of fingers. The relief came so fast, she almost choked. "Marth... oh my god, Marth!" Her hands fluttered anxiously above him, scared that if she made contact, her hands would cause him even more pain.

"Sheik..." Marth whispered softly, voice riddled with pain. His voice was so broken and weak, so soft. She'd never heard him sound anything like this before, usually cocky and strapping, willing and strong. Every breath seemed to cause him agony, every missed second spreading terror. "Help me."

"I will. I will." Sheik said, knuckling away the tears from her eyes. Marth needed her to be calm. Fuck, after all she just went through, how could calm even exist?

She reached out - maybe she could lift him off the grater, as dragging seemed out of the question given the asshole had done the very same thing to him through the snow outside. Not the best option, in the specter that there weren't that many. If she managed to get a good grip, perhaps... but what if he had a neck or back injury, as seen? Would that inhibit any progress? Would it injure him further? She didn't want to even think of that option. God, Sheik didn't want to _kill_ him, trying to save his life.

Then there was a sound. A godawful sound, grinding _crunch_ , like two immense slabs of metal colliding together.

A shower of sparks sprayed her in the face, and back Sheik flew, landing on her butt, swearing and patting frantically at the embers that landed on her coat.

The grate Marth was lying on gave a long, torturous scream, and _dropped_.

"NO!" The yell tore at her already aching throat. Sheik lunged forward, hands outstretched, a panicked scream crackling in her throat as Marth vanished from view. Just beyond her fingers, into the blanket of darkness below.

She staggered back, dodging pieces of metal bits raining from above. Fuck! After all she just did, down he went again!

She raced back to the now open hole of the elevator, trying to see if there was anything, _anything_ to see and spare. "Marth!" she screamed down into the hole. She couldn't breath. Sheik couldn't breath. And Marth was dead. Fuck, fuck, _fuck_. Marth died in front of her very damn eyes!

 _Chitter. Chitter._

The hair on the back of Sheik's neck stood on end as the air _changed_ , transforming into a more menacing tint, one that she'd reminisce about forever. She swung the gun up in a move that became as rapid and familiar as breathing, eyes peering into the scope. There, at the top of the shaft, was a figure. A face, eying down at her. Its face was hidden, cast into shadow by the light that haloed its head, but she _knew,_ whatever or whomever it was, that thing watched her every move. Sheik could barely make out a smile, one that had full well intent of behind what the grin resembled.

All at once, Sheik felt directly unsafe. In the presence of this brutal predator.

She _also_ knew that, with a furious and distant clarity, had to be the fucking bastard who killed Marth, who took her boyfriend away from her at the cabin and just dropped him below in who knows where the fuck where, killing him. Her teeth grounded, and Sheik pulled the trigger. The gun rocketed off like a cannon, however she was hardly fazed by the recoil, looking away from the scope and back at the shaft.

The figure vanished, darting back the way she came from above, known by the pounding footsteps above her head, where the second floor lay.

"Oh no you fucking don't!" Sheik snarled, swinging the gun around her shoulder, racing back the way she came.

Her foot landed back on the wood, and something gave way. She let out a cry, hearing the splintering of wood. This building was too old, hadn't been used in ages so heavy weight running on it did not bode well for her or anyone who cared to listen. _Shit_. Sheik could only keep running, before she tripped on a coiled wire left in her running wake from before.

"Not now!" she screeched.

Soft footsteps padded in front of her, and she looked up. Sheik glared directly in the face of Marth's killer, creeping realization vaulting forward in her brain. Her eyes widened, ruby eyes softening. "You! Fuck you, bastard! I'll murder you, you stinking piece of shit!"

The last thing she saw before the floor gave way and Sheik tumbled down below into wherever she was going, perhaps in the same place as Marth's dead body, was the eyes of the killer, a grin so fucking crazy you'd think the Joker would be outclassed.

* * *

 _ **12:45 AM, Husen Family Resort (Location Unknown), Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

The rattling of chains caused Luigi Russo to unleash a scream, the boy vaulting forward, as his eyes flew open, the sudden sound awakening him from a deep sleep. He let the yell rip from his lips, echoing loudly around him, vibrations dulling inside his head. Speaking of said body limb, the boy howled in agony, hands immediately fleeting to the back of his skull, lacerations and bumps meeting his sensual touch. Something rough stuck abruptly out, and he could smell the fresh scent of blood. Last he remembered, some asshole hit from behind with something hard enough to knock him unconscious.

"I don't even want to know what it'll look like in the morning..." Luigi mumbled, shakily getting to his feet.

First thing to note was that the emerald clad boy no longer stood in the kitchen of the Husen main lodge. Somewhere else he stood, dark and musty air choking his throat. He couldn't have just walked to his unknown location, someone carried or perhaps dragged him out to the hell knows where. That enough could be evident from the cold, slogging damp feeling he felt when touching his clothes, although there wasn't a speck of white anywhere. What exactly had happened?

It came back in segments, bits and pieces of a fragmented puzzle. The threat, the immense search for Kuro in the lodge where all time stopped... then there was shouting, Peach being taken. The hit. The choke hold, the silver bullet. Lucas had been there too... Luigi's eyes widened in realization. He, and all of his friends were in danger. Where was he?

Luigi didn't need to think again, as someone practically read his mind. Low light flooded the room, and it turned out there was little to fear. Roughly half a mile from the main lodge, the Husen's built a guest cabin similar to the one where Kuro had sent Marth and Sheik, except this one also was attached to a barn that held farming equipment and other mechanical items used for god knows what. Before he took a single step, a soft cry for help interrupted his actions.

"Help! Please help us!" cried the voice.

He knew that distressed call from anywhere. "Peach!" Luigi screamed.

There was a slight paused, then with added hope, a stronger, but still weak response. "L- Luigi? Are you there?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm here! Where are you?"

"I don't know. He- he tied me up. That masked man. He's- he's got-" the poor girl couldn't get it out.

Luigi, though he still couldn't see or truthfully hear for shit, needed to know. "Peach, who is _he?_ And what do you mean by he's got? Does he have someone we know? Who are you referring to? Peach, I need to know-"

A screaming burst of static broke through the room, and the room filled with even more light. Luigi raced up the now seen window, and the door on his far right which peered into a larger room on the other side. After the unwelcoming addition of noise, a different voice, one of cold malice which made his skin crawl, added to the unsettling atmosphere. "Good evening."

Through the window, Luigi could see three bodies. One was Peach, which he knew clearly from her vibrant blonde hair, her electric pink coat and sweater clinging to her body. Next to her, further back, but only so they couldn't see other, lay Kuro. The boy in green wanted to vomit from the sight. The only remaining sibling of the Husen trio looked far from well, black hair in shambles, blood caking his face, cuts lining his arms. The only one who seemed somewhat decent was the third person in the room.

" _Lucas?_ " Luigi yelled at the top of his lungs, disbelief pouring through his voice.

Before any of the three friends in distress could respond back, the maniacal, chill inducing stranger spoke again. "As I've already said, good evening. None of you know me, save for truly one of you, the blonde boy tied to the lovely stake where a chainsaw blade could rip him in half. I am a person by many names, but I prefer in the end to go by Freak."

Luigi's blood run cold. "Who the fuck-"

"Simply enough to put, as there's no issue with me telling you guys, I'm a serial killer," Freak said. "You can let the shock of how stupid I am sink in, so I can recover enough to tell you that none of you here in this building at the very exact time will live through to see dawn break over the clouds. You knowing my little secret will not have any effect on me."

Kuro, who apparently had been asleep as the beginning proceedings took place, awoke. The boy gasped in pain, eyes flittering to his waist where gauze tape matted down around the skin, splotched a dark crimson. The boy was also standing straight up, hands and feet locked by shackles on a wooden board. "What- what is this? Let me out of here!"

"Tonight is a simple returning to what I started, by eliminating the Husen sibling trio from my very presence. Money goes a long way in this world."

"Please, get us out of here!" Lucas and Peach screamed in unison, over the crackling of the serial killer above.

Freak clucked his tongue. "Right now, I want to test a simple experiment, to choose loyalty between people you can easily pick, or ones that will be harder to decide. For that, I need the cooperation of our three test subjects, Lucas Samuels, Peach Tydal, and Kuro Husen."

"Fuck you!" Kuro howled.

"Wish that could happen."

Lucas paled. "What- what are you planning to do?"

Luigi couldn't believe his eyes, nor his ears. This had to be a dream. Any second now he'd wake up from this god awful nightmare. He pinched himself. Nothing happened. Pinch harder, same result. He was not going to turn into the definition of insanity. Whatever happened, happened, and there would be nothing to fix it. He balled his fists, a smug glare pointing itself towards the ceiling. "Do your worst."

Although none of the four friends locked away in the room could see Freak, they could sense the smile, enough to send shudders and chills down all their spines. "Gladly, my dear Luigi Russo. In front of you is a simple key pad, with the numbers one, two, and three. Each of your friends has a specific code sequence you have to punch in, and whichever number you compute, that friend dies."

"What?" Kuro yelled.

"You're bullshitting us!" Lucas harped, struggling against his restraints.

"No... please no!" Peach began to cry.

Luigi backed up from the keypad, his head swimming, heart beating, blood roaring with the ferocity of a lion. _Shit. Shit. SHIT FUCK!_ "No... I need to think straight... you're-"

"I'm not bullshitting any of you, I'm deadly serious. Lucina and Midna Husen thought the same thing before my bare hands ripped them apart, one fired a bullet, the other drove a knife. And, especially for you, big brother, with dark hair and amber eyes, they were luxurious to rape. All the blood, why it made showers in the sky, euphoria drove me over into orgasms men could only dare to have. So thank you, sir, for having good sisters. If all they could ever accomplish, least it was that. Satisfaction." Freak intoned.

Kuro's fearful eyes evolved into a burning rage, at the knowledge that his own sisters had been killed by this fucker, even so much to have their dead fucking bodies used for entertainment. "You _sick_ fuck! I'll rip you to pieces!"

"Just like your sisters... not good to repeat the past, Mr. Husen," Freak sang mockingly. The voice directed itself at Luigi, this was direct by the inflection of the voice. "The code for Peach Tydal is the simple 1-2-3. If you decide to end her life, bullets from my pistol will fire in three direct places. The head, the heart, and the stomach. Depending on which key you press the hardest, that's where the bullet will go through. More likely fatal despite that."

"Luigi! Think about this for a moment," Peach shrieked. "You- you can't let me die!"

Freak steamrolled on. "The combination of 3-2-1 causes Kuro Husen to meet an awful fate at falling on my sector of knives and spikes down below in the column where he stands above. The restraints unlatch, and down he'll drop, lucky to break his neck before the stabbing blades pierce everywhere on his body."

"I dare you to try killing me! You won't!" Kuro smugly yelled at the ceiling where he thought the voice came from.

"And, our last combination is for Mr. Samuels, the most unfortunate of three. He is a wild code. The starting number is 2, but the next two numbers I'll leave up to you. It is either 2-3-1 or 2-1-3. One combination will kill Mr. Samuels, by having this rotating saw chop the fellow in half. The other combination you didn't use, of 2-3-1 or 2-1-3 will kill one of the three at random, and if you decide to sit there and not do anything, I'll let all of them die. Choice is yours. The other sequence, of you think of outsmarting me, they won't work, and it'll force you to punch another one in." Freak explained.

As if the killer had snapped his fingers, the saw began to whirl, Kuro's restraints became looser, and the evident cock of a gun from Luigi's left. The boy began to sweat, various screams and cries for help flooding his ears.

"Save me, please!" Lucas yelled.

"Don't kill me, please don't kill me..." Peach cried out.

"Dude, we've been through so much! I don't want to go out like this..." Kuro moaned.

Luigi backed up again from the console. "Oh shit... oh shit. Give me a minute! I can't think straight..."

"You don't have a minute to think about it! Time is ticking! Do you not care about your friends?" Freak taunted from the ceiling.

In a flash, Luigi pressed 2-1-3, hoping it would be the random one. He wanted to look away, but there was a strange sense of morbid curiosity behind his madness, he couldn't tear away, he wouldn't look the other direction. A loud _cling_ sound echoed through the room. "There! I punched in a code! Happy now?" he screamed.

Freak made a satisfying sigh. "You are so damn evil, you know. Luigi punched in the code of 2-1-3. Originally this code stood for Lucas Samuels..."

"No! You motherfucker!" Lucas howled at Luigi, wanting to jump at him from the restraints.

"But... thing is, I _lied_." Freak laughed.

"Wait- what?" Kuro yelled.

"No, you can't do that!" Luigi indignantly shouted.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want, Mr. Russo. Your willingly participation helped me so much, as now I don't have to do the murder myself. You have actually pressed the kill code in for Kuro Husen. Goodbye, Mr. Husen. You were pivotal in my game. Hope you can play some more whenever you get the chance to. Oh, actually, I'm sorry, that'd be impossible, for you'll be dead. Goodbye."

A multitude of events happened. Luigi made a bolting for the door, Lucas and Peach let out rivaling screams, Kuro's being the loudest. The doomed to die watched his own hands unlatch from the restraints, a hole in the floor revealing that, down below, was a prison specifically made for him. The Husen sibling had mere seconds to glare at Luigi straight in the eye before he dropped, unleashing a terrified yell as he plummeted. The panel in the floor slid back in place as Kuro disappeared down to his death. The restraints holding onto Lucas and Peach unlatched too, sending both kids to the floor. Luigi heard the door unlock, and he burst in.

Both were in extreme panic, unable to make sense of anything that had just happened. "I'm so sorry. Guys, I- I am so sorry this happened. Please forgive me, oh please forgive me..." Luigi said over and over again, words tumbling out in awkward timing, jumbling together in one fucked up mess.

"You didn't know what you were doing..." Lucas breathed, seeming to be sensible through it all.

Freak, however, hadn't disappeared yet. "Oh, and I forgot. This structure shall collapse in fifteen seconds," the killer said, counting down. "Fifteen... fourteen..."

There was no time for petty chats, no time to see if anyone was alright. A door opened on the other side of the room, back in far right corner, which meant to run pass the gun, run past the saw, run past the trap door where a broken body of Kuro Husen laid, cut open and spilling blood everywhere. Luigi, Lucas, and Peach all locked eyes before making a mad dash towards the door.

"Fuck!" Luigi hissed.

Lucas tripped over a chain bolted to the floor, his foot getting looped in the metal. The entire shack or whatever the hell it was shook like mad, it truly was about to come down any second. Luigi stopped, head swiveling. He jumped for Lucas, to help him, to save him. He would not have another friend die on his watch. He already screwed that one up with Kuro a mere minute before.

The blonde's eyes turned from panicked to angry. "No! Leave me!"

"You'll die!" Luigi screamed.

"Get out of here!" Lucas gave a shout, ripping from his foot stop, giving his friend a huge shove.

The boy in green shouted, slamming into Peach who had stopped outside in the snow, staring blankly at the cabin. As soon as Luigi hit pallid, icy ground, the roof of the cabin collapsed, falling in. Lucas became hidden from view, the structure crushing him as a painful scream ripped through the night.

"No... no! Lucas!" Luigi roared at the top of his lungs, before collapsing into a pile of sobbing tears in the snow.

Freak did his job well.

A little _too_ well.

* * *

 **Jeezum! That was probably the most stressful chapter of them all, wouldn't you agree? And wow... so, we've got a supposed dead Marth, maybe a dead or hurt Sheik, a dead Kuro, and what do you think with Lucas? Dead or alive? I, of course know, but I won't say anything. I hope this chapter had it all that you were looking for- action, suspense and bloodshed! Something fishy to you guys or not? Zelda and Link haven't been seen since Chapter 4. Where is our lovely couple, hmm? We'll find out soon enough, won't we? Thanks for reading guys! I'm sorry about the one day delay, I really wanted to get it out yesterday, but I started typing way too late than I normally do. Please review! Let me know what you thought! And, I'll see you all in February for Chapter #8: Penultimate Peril, where the characters who haven't had the spotlight or aren't dead will be shown. You know that means Samus is back, right? 5 chapters left you guys, and then this story shall be complete! Woot! Have a wonderful day! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	8. Chapter 8: Penultimate Peril

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation, #8: Penultimate Peril. It's time to have our focus centralized back on three certain teenagers who we haven't seen anything from since Chapter 4, and they are Samus, Link, and Zelda. I hope you all have been hungrily awaiting for the update of this story, as I've been extremely anxious to get this over with, as the deadline for the contest is coming up close on the 25th, meaning I got to work my ass much harder and faster than normal. Last chapter, Sheik chased after Marth, only for the bluenette to supposedly fall into a mine shaft, then for her to recognize whom the killer is before falling somewhere else as it is. Luigi awoke far from the main lodge, and had to make a decision between killing Peach, Kuro, or Lucas, the system malfunctioning and killing Kuro when he meant to kill Lucas. The hidden lodge collapsed, crushing Lucas as well, so he may be dead too! Yeah... anyways, enjoy Chapter #8: Penultimate Peril!**

* * *

 ** _1:05 AM, Husen Family Resort Main Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015_**

Nearly four hours. Four fucking hours in a bathtub, she sat, that Samus Adderage, completely oblivious to the madness consuming her friends whole. Red and Robin's demise at the hands of Freak, the séance of Lucina in the downstairs living room, Luigi's knockout, Kuro, Peach, and Lucas's kidnapping, Sheik chasing after Marth in the snow, and the death of Kuro and Lucas at the hands of Freak... everything happened while she was in a state of bliss in a warm hot water bath in the upstairs main bathroom.

She currently bobbed her head back in forth in a fast sequence of nods and hand motions, the quick techno song of Planet Colors from the F-Zero franchise. All the rifts, the intense beats. Currently set on a ten minute extended remix, her next song in the playlist contrasted dramatically with a cello piece from Mozart, soft piano accompaniments and riveting snaps of violin strings. Her playlist... odd enough to say the least. Unknown to her, an extra presence watched her in the bath, sitting up against the pinewood walls of the bathroom.

Freak smiled to himself, seeing the top curve of her breasts, licking his lips while he watched her stir, eyes closed, hands moving so beautifully. " _I want to be inside of you... my dear Samus Adderage. Perhaps when the time is right._ " he thought sexually, getting erect at the way she bit her lip, ran a hand through her soaking wet blonde hair... nearly all of him was drowning in a wave of ecstasy _just_ watching her! Freak glanced up at the clock above the bath, the time reading five minutes after one. He nodded, filing over one of his darkest thoughts in his brain before striding out of the bathroom, not even hiding his fully elongated penis. Ooh... he'd get a chuckle out of this one more than anything. He slammed the door shut, as he left.

Back in the bath, Samus heard the slam, as her music wasn't on so loud that it drowned out everything, but close enough. She opened her eyes, noticing that the candle near the faucet had been extinguished, perhaps from a gust of wind from the outside. It did feel a tad bit drafty, not going to lie. Samus took out her ear buds, the sharp accents of video game music dying from her ears. She looked around the bathroom. "Guys..." she trailed off. "What are you doing out there? Being creepy again Kuro?" she asked aloud. There came no answer. Only the cricking and buckling of old wood under heavy drawls of booted feet. "Okay..." Samus said slowly, looking up at the clock. Time read 1:06 AM. She had been in the bathtub way too long, beyond her normal time constraints. The others were probably just going to bed, and so it meant she probably should too.

Samus stepped out of the bath, flipping the drain on. The sound of torrent water gushing down the tube caused her to shudder, the noise being so loud and uncommon in the bathroom when everywhere else was drowned out in silence. She slipped a robe on, which she had lied on the side of the tub. Reaching down, she went for a pair of slippers to wear around her feet as the floors would be too cold to go around on in bare feet. She blinked, before her eyebrows furrowed together crossly. "Stealing my clothes? Not cool guys, not funny at all! Assholes, it'd really be nice if I could have my clothes back!" she yelled, seeing as when she stepped into the tub, she had put her jacket, jeans, t-shirt, undershirt, and panties by the slippers. The slippers themselves were gone too. All that had been left in their place was a sock, a single musty brown sock that smelled to the high heaven of sex sweat and scents of lust. She gagged. Had to be another prank. A sick one. Did Kuro put Red up to the job with this one? Couldn't be Lucas. The boy was asleep across the hall.

She sighed, realizing that yelling at the problem that no longer sat there would get nothing done. Samus tightened the bathrobe, then pushed open the bathroom door. She jumped at this, frowning. "I thought I left the door locked when I got in..." Then it dawned on her. Her asshole friends took her clothes, meaning the door had to be unlocked to get into the bathroom. Leaving it locked would've been possibly creepier than anything else.

The lodge stayed in an eerily quiet stasis. Silence met her footsteps, clouds of dust and ice batted at her lashes, frigid veins of mold and insect dung dared to crawl up her legs. Samus breathed in, breathed out, breathed in, and breathed out some more. There was not a sound to be heard besides the creaking of the floor underneath her petite weight. The door on the other end of the hall across from her lay closed, but a light poked out from underneath it. Samus smiled to herself. " _Lucas says he'll go to bed but then stays up watching porn or something... or he could possibly be reading..."_ She inched forward to his room, and knocking softly.

She frowned at the fact there was no response. Pushing the door open, she found the bedroom to be empty, with the subsequent guest bath. Where did the blonde decide to go? Samus scratched her head. " _Whatever this prank is... they're doing a pretty good job at freaking me the fuck out..._ "

The other doors on the second level either were locked or open with no one in them. The front door to the cabin also was locked, as was the kitchen and a few of the bedrooms. Only place left to check was the downstairs area, the basement and the screening movie room. Hell, what did Samus get herself into? As she made her way down the third flight of stairs, that was when she noticed the balloons. Multiple balloons of different colors tied to the posts of the stairs. Ceruleans, amaranthines, halcyons, emeralds, crimsons, sunbursts- each marked with a pallid arrow to go down. Samus rolled her eyes. "Probably just a fucking jump scare." she deduced, deciding that if everywhere else prevented travel, the only way to go lied in the instructions being handed to her.

Samus made her way to the basement floor, seeing that on the table where Kuro had found the flashlight for when she and him made their way into the basement the first time, the same flashlight now sat on top of the table, ready to go. She paused at this, gambling another shot of redemption. "Haha. You guys are going a tad bit too far with this now. I know, it's funny at first. Look! It's Samus in a towel. I understand I may look semi-attractive to you gentlemen, but do we need a repeat of last year?"

Her outburst got zero sound given back, and Samus stopped her foot. Daring and courageousness never hurt anyone, but curiosity did, as the phrase always went, curiosity killed the cat. She grabbed the flashlight, and turned it on, momentarily blinded by the sudden burst of light, halcyon and snow white rays dancing up at the ceiling. She peered around the corner, the entrance to the movie theater wide open for entry, a balloon marking entry. "Whoa... this is creepy..." Samus trailed off, stepping forward. Had she turned back, she would've seen Freak bearing holes into the back of her neck.

The serial killer responded in his mind to the question she had shouted earlier. "A repeat of last year is beyond, without a doubt the thing everyone here most needs. A crucial reminder no one is safe from their inner demons. And yes, it is mightily funny seeing you, Samus Adderage in a towel. You're absolutely stunning, the robe suits you perfectly- outlining the curving of immaculate milky white breasts..." he sighed. "Yes, very much so, a repeat of last year." Freak whispered, slowly stepping forward, eyeing the needle and syringe that had been expertly placed on the table next to the flashlight. How did Samus miss that? He would never know.

Samus stepped into the screening room, her patience at wits end. "Okay guys, this is it! I am done with this, alright? Where the fuck are you guys hiding? You need to come out now before I personally chop off all of your dicks!" As soon as she yelled this, the sliding doors to the viewing room slammed shut, locking her in. She screamed, twirling around with the flashlight at the locked door.

No longer than a few seconds later, a loud popping of static interrupted her thoughts, a strange, muscular voice she had never heard before came on over the speaker. "Hello Samantha. Looking for me?"

"What the fuck..." she hissed, swiveling the flashlight at the ceiling. A project had been fired to life up on the rigging above, but beyond that, no indicator as to where the voice would be coming from.

"I don't think you'll have much luck by looking, Samantha."

"Who do you think you are?" Samus yelled.

"You may call me Freak, if you choose to." the serial killer answered.

"What do you want?"

"Just for you to open your precious eyes. Look at the screen, my darling, and observe." Freak instructed calmly.

The flimsy white screen was replaced with a shot motion picture, and Samus's heart rose into her throat, bile threatening to appear, vomit curdling in her stomach. The shot was of her, in the bathtub, dancing back and forth to the Planet Colors F-Zero song on her IPod. The slamming of the door, the extinguishing of the candle, the opening of her diamond eyes, the leaning of the head. "What are you guys doing out there?" Samus heard herself speak on the screen.

Samus almost fainted. "Oh my god..."

"Look at her," Freak said sweetly. "A beautiful, _sexy_ bathing bird. Do you think she had any idea what lied ahead? That these would be the few last happy moments of this creature's life? Wonder what she's thinking now..."

"You're fucking sick!"

"Perhaps you're the one who doesn't see the beauty in this." the serial killer made a _tisk_ noise of his tongue.

She almost wanted to cry. "Why are you showing this to me?

The answer sent shudders down her spine. "Why are you watching?"

Samus broke from the screen, eyes glancing up at the ceiling, muscles twitching and daring to move. When she directed her attention back to the projector movie, the next few glimpses of film caused her to scream. The glazed over eyes of Kuro Husen gazed emptily back at her, blood caking his face, a spike protruding from his chest. Lucas crying out as something fell down around him, crushing the poor blonde. Red being consumed by a flamethrower, Robin getting stabbed in the neck, Marth getting ripped from the guest cabin door; horrific sequences of haunting evil occurring to her friends caused by the one and only bastard talking to her on the overhead. "NO!" Samus screamed, terror filling her veins.

"How does this make you feel? Squeamish," Freak taunted. "To see your friends ripped apart? While you sat helpless in that fucking tub, never moving, enthralled in a world of pleasure by tingling warm water? You are a fucking disgusting animal. I'll gladly rip you apart piece by piece, my dear Samantha."

"What did you do? Oh my god, what did you do?" she cried, a full on panic attack smacking her in the face.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds. Ten... nine-"

"No!" Samus cried out, backing away from the screen, hands not knowing where to move.

"Eight. Seven."

"Please no!"

Freak didn't spare her six seconds of thinking, instead interrupting the chaotic time by wrenching the screening door open, having been standing on the other side the whole time. She screamed for dear life, leaping back. He stepped forward menacingly, a needle in his right hand. Freak cracked his neck. "Samus... it's time to go to sleep now."

Thinking fast, Samus eyed a vase on the counter and grabbed it, chucking it at the serial killer with all her might. He covered his face from being hit in the mouth with pottery, all the while the blonde screaming, "Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" She ran away from Freak, towards the opposite direction to the doors that led to the basement.

"My... you like any good girl loves a chase. Perhaps one can be arranged?" he slyly cooed, wiping bits of the vase off his shoulder.

Samus wrenched the door open. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit fucking shit!" she yelled, bounding into a bedroom. She paused, her heart pounding a mile a minute, blood roaring, adrenaline coursing through her skin, rippling with shards of terrified anxiety. She could either hide under the bed or continue running away, down into the basement. Samus thought fast, and indecisively, leaping under the bed like a professional diver, squeezing in as far as she could. The comforting cotton of the bathrobe hugged her chest tight against the cold tile. She turned the flashlight off.

The door flung open, Freak stepping in. Heavy breaths came from both individuals, but who was louder, Samus couldn't tell. "Come here... my daring little sparrow."

She scooted over a tad, a resonating creak matching her movements. " _Fuck_."

"Gotcha." Freak smiled, reaching under the bed and grabbing Samus by the foot.

"Let me go, you sick fuck!" Samus screamed, gripping the base of the bed. She reeled back and kicked Freak with her foot in the nose. He howled, a resonating crack making a smile cross the blonde's lips. She launched herself over the bed, leaving the serial killer to reciprocate and asses the damage of his broken body part.

She pushed the door to the basement open, leaping down the stairs two at time. One of the strings of the bathrobe came undone, and she tripped on one of the stairs, her head colliding with a wall, her knee shattering somewhat. She hissed, seeing that the wound already began to bleed. Low stomping meant Freak was right behind her, and she persisted on.

Samus ran into the opening of the basement, her head turning in several directions. The broiler! It could hide her in the darkness. She raced forward into the dark parts of the corridor, before stopping behind a column. Instinctively she turned the flashlight off, holding her breath. " _Please don't find me. Please, oh god please_." she thought to herself.

Freak lumbered up the same location she had been at, pausing where the two were exactly next to each other, only the column separating the two. He sniffed. "I can smell your fear, Samus. You are very tasty, just from that alone. Come out wherever you are."

She couldn't take anymore of the taunting, and Samus ran from her position again, only to be clocked in the throat by a gloved hand from Freak. "Fuck off!" she hissed weakly, before he picked her up by the arms limply. She panicked, limbs flying out in a quick array, before her eyes flashed over the gleaming oak surface of a bat. Kuro! He had put it there when she explicitly brought up the game of baseball. She clutched it, swinging back at Freak's face. This time the killer dodged, but in that moment dropped her, and she ran forward again.

There were two different routes, one straight ahead, and one on the right. Samus took the right path, flying into a wine cellar. "I'll get you, my sweet sparrow!" Freak howled, hands grabbing at empty air.

Samus looked frantically at the sides of the wine cellar, and then at the door. "Are you kidding me? No handle?" she shrieked incredulously. Hands flew to the tops of the racks, where her hands brushed against something circular and metal. The handle! Freak bounded down after the corridor, ready to chase the blonde again and again. She threw down the rack, the handle clattering to the floor. Picking it up, Samus lodged the handle into the keyhole, wrenching open the cellar door. She slammed it shut, Freak shoving a hand through the top part of the door where the eye grate sat. She slammed it shut.

"Very nice..." Freak teased.

"Get out!" Samus screamed, locking the hatch. She stepped back, only to jump when Freak slammed all of his weight into the door. A few more budges, many incessant streams of cursing, and then the killer gave up.

"There's always another way around, my little blonde sparrow."

She grimaced, turning around and seeing another door, one that hopefully led to another room, another place away from the sick fucker who dared to try even kidnap her or worse... whatever he was planning to do, she'd take no part in it whatsoever. Samus unlocked the door and stepped into a new hall. An eerie quiet distilled over her, and she tightened the bathrobe, before checking her knee. The wound already began to scab over. It'd be okay by dawn.

Samus came to another clearing, either to go straight or take an immediate left. She decided to run left, seeing as going further into the nightmare could prove worse for her and that's something she didn't want.

As she ran, something clubbed her in the back of the head. "Fuck!"

Freak stepped over her. "Told you I could find my way to you..." he cooed. The serial killer showed her the needle and syringe, stabbing her in the neck with the medicinal injection. As he stuck her, Freak removed his mask.

Samus gasped as consciousness began to flee away from her. "You... you're supposed to be dead."

He smiled. "Oh, my dear sparrow... anything's possible. Sad the same thing can't be said for Midna, Lucina, Kuro, and the others, right?"

"You're never going to get away with this..."

"Oh please. I have only four people left to kill, everything else will work out for me in the end. You'll stay down here forever," Freak leaned into her ear, licking it. "As my _entertainment_."

Samus's blood ran cold, before unconsciousness took her up into a dreamy stasis.

* * *

 _ **1:50 AM, Husen Family Resort, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

Link kissed Zelda hard on the mouth, the two lying together in the snow outside in the resort grounds, near the fire tower by the cable car station on the ground level of the mountain. One would be hard pressed to believe the two had been gone for so long without having done some dirty distasteful deed along the way, one that took up too much of their time. Sex was still sex no matter how you pressed it, the two taking their rough feelings for each other and throwing it into a strange allocation of intercourse against a pine tree, no protection, barebacked by the snow laden ground.

He brushed a strand of hair out of his girlfriend's face. "You know, I forgive you with what happened with Marth."

Zelda blushed. "Before or after the blow job?"

Her boyfriend chuckled. "Way before, sweetheart."

She sat up, hair a mess. "I am sorry, I hope you realize. I'm more mad at myself than anything else. I didn't stop myself, when I had full control. The lying, the way he came onto me and I didn't push away. Perhaps he wanted to use it as a last resort, as I know he would been fucking Sheik later anyways."

"Probably have already done it. I guess we had sex without protection, against a damn tree because we could?"

"Because we could." the brunette agreed.

"I did it because I was angry."

"Oh, so you're misogynistic?" Zelda asked.

Link ruffled her already disheveled hair. "Hey, don't go name calling me now."

"I can't believe I'm probably one of the only girls in the world to agree to it without protection in the harsh elements," she teased, tickling him. "I think we should head back."

He kinda agreed with her, a pain spreading in his crotch. "We can in a little while. I want to get a better look at the mountain from the fire tower," Link pointed to it. "Would that be a problem? We can spend a few minutes up there to observe the beauty and go back to the lodge."

"Sure. Why not?" Zelda shrugged.

The two stood awkwardly, painfully, as the two made it to their feet. Zelda brushed the snow off of her jacket, out of her hair, and from her shoes, Link doing the same to his hat, gloves, and jeans. The two locked hands, walking up the path to the fire tower. Just like Samus back at the lodge, now in the clutches of Freak, the two had no idea that there was a mad killer running around, slicing friends to bits and setting collapsing cabins on blonde headed boys. Certainly not interrupting sexual activity either. How scandalous.

The night sky glowed with an azure hue, twinkling stars forming constellations such as Orion the Hunter, the Little Dipper, the Major and Minor. He pointed out a few to her, small talk between them going a long way. One kiss deepened strongly, lavender scents dripping off of her hair, salty saliva droplets coming from his mouth. The two almost stripped right then and there again, Zelda making way to remove the buttons again, when Link gripped her hands tight.

"Hold up there little panther. We've just finished not even half an hour ago and you want to ride the bucket again? Let's wait a few days. We're spent. Relaxation looking up at the stars is all we need."

Zelda's face dropped into a downcast glance, but she nodded. "Whatever you say, Mr. Dillon." He made a face, being referred by his last name, something only reserved for his parents.

The two had come up to the fire tower when a searing bright light came on, causing the two to cry out in surprise. Link shielded his eyes away from the sudden source of brightness, making Zelda do the same. The two lowered their arms from their faces as the light dimmed.

"Ah jeez! That's freaking bright! Link, I can't see. What is that?"

"A motion sensor probably. We must've tripped it." he said logically.

"It'll take forever for the rods and cones to dissipate." she complained.

"We'll be better up at the top of the fire tower. Shall we climb?" Link offered.

She shrugged, blinking a few times for the lights to stop dancing around her eyeballs and bouncing around like a game of air hockey in her skull. Zelda began to climb, the wind picking up, sharp and shrill bits of ice clawing at her backside. Link joined her on the ladder, the extra weight being somewhat unwelcoming. The two climbed, and she tried to forget the pain radiating from her butt, he certainly wasn't gentle with his ramming. Then again, when did ramming ever act comforting?

The couple made it to the top, Zelda pushing open the freezing cold grate, before lugging herself up to the top floor. She reached over the side, grabbing her boyfriend and hoisting him up as well. She slammed the grate shut, before standing and wiping off the snow. She wanted to make a comment about how hurtful her ass had become due to his roughness in the sex earlier, but she bit her tongue. Save it for a less romantic time. Zelda assessed the top floor of the fire tower. All dark and empty.

"Just great," she sighed. "No power."

"There's gotta be a fuse around here somewhere, no?" Link frowned. There was a slight rumbling in his pocket, as it meant someone had texted him. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, turning it on.

"Who texted you?" Zelda asked, rubbing her shoulder, slightly miffed.

Link's eyes widened. "Luigi and Peach both sent me a message." he said, before showing her the screen. The message read-

 _Hey... umm... Link, if you get this, know we aren't joking. Peach, Kuro, Lucas, and I were all attacked by a serial killer. His name is Freak. This guy supposedly killed Lucina and Midna last year... and he came back to finish the rest of us off. He kept us locked away in some secluded location, and had the Kuro, Peach, and Lucas tied up with various murder weapons trained at their bodies. I had to play a fucking Gamemaker and decide who to kill. Kuro got the axe by a random key selection... and- and he's dead! The house collapsed on us and Lucas may be gone too! You need to help us. We know there's a fire tower down by the cable car station. Get there and turn on the power! Kuro mentioned something about it being off during the winter months as no one really comes up here. We're going back to the lodge to get Samus, and maybe see about Marth and Sheik. Please hurry! Lives may depend on you helping us. Please guys, please oh please!  
~ Luigi and Peach_

Link chuckled to himself darkly, hoping to see if there could be any humor in the situation. "Luckily we're already here..."

Zelda didn't bother to take an extra second, looking for an opportunity to find a power source. Against the wall stood a breaker box. She flung it open. Flicking the switch for the power, something underneath their feet rumbled to life and the energy flooded through the top floor of the fire tower. Zelda eyed a fuse box, and flung it open too. A flare gun met her gaze and she picked it up, before tossing it to Link. "Is there a working radio up here? A normal place like this would. And keep that flare gun. We may need it for later."

He caught it, understanding that now was not the time to play around. Zelda was in full drill sergeant mode and when it came to her friends, the people she actually liked, she'd do all in her power to save them from whatever darkness loomed around the corner. Link eyed the radio on the table out looking the window. "Radio is right there," he nodded. " _So much for a relaxing night looking up at the stars._ "

She lunged for the radio, turning it on by pressing the power button. A static charge roared to life, rumbling low and quiet and her heart skipped numerous beats of relief. "Oh thank God in all of merciful heaven. We've got a signal!"

Something broke on the other side, a clear-cut male voice responding. "Hello? This is Fox McCloud from the Denver city police department? Whom are we speaking to? We need you to speak clearly and slowly into the microphone."

Zelda didn't know exactly what clearly and slowly meant in the moment of panic. "Oh... oh my God I can't believe this is working. Link, we can still save them."

"Please repeat that, over." Fox said again.

"My name is Zelda and I- oh my you have to help us. We're here on the Husen Family Resort mountain and we've gotten word that's there a fucking serial killer going around killing our friends. Two of them are already dead and you have to help us... please oh please!"

Link stomped his foot. "Zelda! What part about slowly and clearly do you not understand?"

"I'm in panic mode, okay?" she screeched.

There was a pause on the other end. "I hear you loud and clear, miss Zelda. You say there's a killer after you and your friends?"

"Yes sir! We aren't making this up! We have a text message and everything! The guy's name is Freak. Said to have been the one behind Midna and Lucina Husen's disappearance last year. You have to help us!"

Fox coughed. "We understand completely. It's currently nearing two in the morning, and we can't get anyone out to your location for a couple hours. A blizzard is on its way over the mountain from Canada and we need clear flying passage up the resort."

"How long till then?" Link yelled into the microphone.

"Dawn, at the earliest. Until dawn." the police officer accentuated. The feed canceled out for a bit.

The couple hugged breathlessly. "Okay, we've got something well and done for. What do we do now?" Zelda asked.

Link opened his mouth to speak, when the motion sensor light from below at ground level flickered on, illuminating the top floor in a ghostly white halo. "Fuck! There goes the light again," he hissed, looking out over the window. "Something else tripped the motion sensor. Probably a fucking deer."

Before another action could occur in the fire tower, a loud snap came from down below, and something heavy and strong slammed against the grate which separated the top floor from the ladder leading to the ground. Zelda screamed, backing up against the wall. "He's coming for us Link!"

The tower began to groan. "What- what is happening? the couple shouted in unison.

"The tower! It's collapsing!" Link cried out.

Everything began to shift to the right, the fuse box shattering, the radio falling to the floor, bursting into flames, causing a electrical fire. "Shit!" Zelda screamed.

"Don't move!" Link yelled cautiously, his footing starting to slip. The entire tower fell on its side, Zelda loosing the little room she had before plummeting to the window, screaming the whole way.

"No!"

Her boyfriend had jumped, holding onto a wooden beam in the ceiling that had flipped. "Zelda!" he screamed.

She opened her eyes, seeing that now the tower hung precariously over the ledge, sinking down slowly into the snowy ground like the Titanic into the Arctic Ocean. The brunette looked up to see the gut wrenching fear plastered on her boyfriend's face, and then the radio box, crumpled in all its metallic glory unlatched from the power cord. Zelda rolled out of the way as the glass shattered, to then roll back out into the open air. She screamed again, managing to latch onto the last second a rung from the broken and shambled ladder. "Fuck me..." she whined.

Link let out a riveting scream as the tower began to give way again, the entire thing tipping over and sinking into the snow, collapsing into the mines underneath the ground.

From far away, Freak looked through his trusty set of binoculars, safe and sound on a ledge overlooking the mountain ridge. He grinned to himself. "Now there's only two more to go. Peach and Luigi, I hope you enjoyed the two hours of solstice you've had from me. It's time to beg to whomever you worship I go easy and gentle on you, now."

* * *

 ***lets myself drop to the floor in exhaustion* Wow... I gotta say, I can't believe I actually got the chapter done and out of the way. I'm recovering from a weird one day bug that caused a light fever, bad shudders, congestion, a cough, and a rough sore throat, so I for the most part have felt pretty crappy, but I knew this chapter had to be done as I meant to type it last night but decided against it as I felt like shit. Happy to see that we may not be seeing Link, Zelda, and Samus again? Well... you just might not never know! Thanks for reading guys, and I can't wait to see you guys again hopefully on the 12th, in ten days, for Chapter #9: Roulette Wheel, with mainly staring Peach and Luigi. Will they mainly carry out the next and final three chapters of the story? Perhaps. And, who do you think Freak is? Find out next time. Love you all! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	9. Chapter 9: Roulette Wheel

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation, #9: Roulette Wheel. So it seems... Freak has been doing his job way too well don't you suppose. He's killed off way too many people, left only a few alive... I think we're down to what... like four at least confirmed? *lists off fingers... Samus, Peach and Luigi, Sheik... anyone else* Hope you guys have been on the edge of your seat, we are almost done with this story! *victory dances* Deadline for the contest is like on the 25th, and I think I'll be able to make my deadline, but if not, I'll have to ask for an extension (which I really don't want to do of course, but if need be, I will). Thanks for all the support I've been getting so far, you guys are amazing, and I love you all so much. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **2:02 AM, Husen Family Guest Lodge, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

Peach Tydal wiped the cold sweat from her brow, persistent in her mind to keep up so hypothermia didn't creep up on her in the middle of running away from some creepy psychotic killer. Her heart sank into dismay as she heard the footsteps above her increase into a panicked run back down to the ground floor, Luigi's also sweating form appearing at the head of the stairs. The two of them both had flashlights, the latter doused in emerald green having his face illuminated eerily by the pallid halo.

"She... she wasn't up there?" Peach licked her lips, almost not wanting to say the words.

He shook her head, snow falling from his shoulders in light piles. "No. I didn't see her."

"Where else could Samus have gone?" she barked, hands crossing over and hugging her sides tight. Peach was referring to their blonde friend who mysteriously went for a bath and never came back. No one lay in the bathtub, which still was filled to the brim with warm water, something that worried Luigi. He bit his tongue, knowing if he told Peach, there'd be a fit of hysteria and tears, something neither of them needed.

"I- I don't know. Her clothes were gone, just a brown old sock in their place," Luigi made a face. "Suitcase is nightly packed by the bathtub, but empty, as like I said she has no clothes. Samus wouldn't go out in the storm, especially in a towel. She'd be dead in two minutes out there, and we both know it. She's down here in the house somewhere. Has to be."

"I hope you're right." Peach said hollowly, fighting back tears.

The two made their way for the downstairs basement level, the only place they hadn't checked. He absentmindedly brushed over the back of his head and grimaced in pain, remembering the blunt pipe that had been slammed into his skull. She avoided eye contact with the floor, trying to not notice any idiosyncrasy cracks that'd steal her attention. Neither one of them ran into Red or Robin on the way to the lodge, which frightened them though they refused to speak it. Both were dead, no denying that.

The blonde of the two passed by a candle, which promptly ignited on its own without her doing anything to trigger it. She screeched, leaping into a column, color draining from her face fast. "Did that just happen?" Peach cried, pointing at the flame.

Luigi eyed the candle before blowing it out. "Freak incident..." he mumbled, trying to ease her mind off of the supernatural. "Air particles colliding hard enough to exert enough chemical energy to spark the candle. Simple chemistry."

"When did everything start getting so freaky around here?"

"A question I sort of do not want answered." he said honestly.

Peach lead the way first, noticing the overturned pictures, the piles of wax against the base of the stairs, and all these popped balloons. Streams of nylon rubber, crimson patches, amaranthine swabs, all burst and laid atop the stakes of the staircase. A musty smell, one of sweat and fear invaded her nostrils. The sound of cracking glass erupted underneath her feet, and she shrieked, looking down. A picture of Kuro Husen stared brokenly back at her. The vibrant boy smiling, dark hair wild, amber eyes bright and alive. " _Not anymore... never will those eyes shine_." Peach thought remorsefully.

Luigi stopped behind her. "What is it?"

She showed him the picture, causing the emerald clad boy to shake his head, as if he saw a ghost. His throat closed up, and his jaw locked. "Don't remind me about him, not now." Luigi snapped the picture from her, throwing it somewhere where he wouldn't see it land, where the glass shattering wouldn't bother him. Peach watched him stomp by, mind puzzled.

"I know you said you don't want to talk about it-"

"Peach, we are _not_ having this discussion." His voice was steady and firm. Malicious.

"Luigi! I know it was hard for you, being put on the spot like that... I have to say, thank you though. For- for saving my life." she added the second part quietly to herself, but he still heard her.

His teeth were gritted, hair wild, cap abandoned back in the shed. He held out a gloved hand, pointer finger up in the air dramatically. "That had nothing to do with me wanting to save your life! That, _was_ chance. I had a one in four chance of killing anyone, and it could've been you. Don't go and act like your all that, you're not."

She paused, biting down on her cheek so she couldn't scream. Where had this impulsiveness come from? "Are you mad at me?"

Diamond eyes softened, hands lax. "No. Just worried. Scared. _Terrified_. Saw what happened to Kuro out in the shed. How Lucas didn't make it," the jaw locked again and Luigi looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't handle this emotional distress. "I don't want my friends dying on me again. I can't have that happen, as long as I'm around to protect those who still can give a fighting chance. I'm damned to this, you know."

Peach nodded. She truly didn't understand, but to appease him, she had to make it work. "Yeah," she rubbed her shoulder. "I get it. Let's look for the greatest friend of all, right?"

The two stepped into the theater room, where Freak had locked Samus in not more than a few hours ago, visions of death befalling her friends. What they were about to walk into... they had no idea. Luigi used his flashlight to scan the roof, Peach taking the floor. He noticed the projector sitting in a light alcove, and although it was off, he noticed the low hum coming from the metallic piece. It had to have been used recently.

She frowned farther from him, seeing a shard of porcelain near the wall. "Hey, what do you think happened here? Looks like..." Peach picked up the fragment of china, showing it to Luigi. He scratched his head, lost for an answer. "It looks like it belonged to something. A vase perhaps? Maybe it had been thrown?"

"With all the shit that's happened tonight... it is hard to believe anything normal. So let's assume that. Hope for the worst." Luigi said dryly, voice cracking.

Peach glared lowly. "I'll do everything but the end. Nothing can get done if we're being so pessimistic about it the entire time." she chided.

The two carried on, stepping into the connector where Samus had run from Freak in their first encounter, she had gone straight. As the two stepped into the hall, the door leading to the hall slammed shut. Peach let out a cry in her throat, then closed her eyes, counting to ten. _Breathe in. Breathe out. You're okay. Nothing bad is happening to you. Forget it all._ She tried for the door in front of her, opting to move ahead then left further into the house. She tried for that lock, opening it barely to peer in when it closed violently as she pushed it far to open.

"This is so messed up..." he breathed, presence immediately hanging over his shoulder.

She nodded, knowing that when, if behind you lied closed, ahead of you marked no entry, then you had to go left or right. Right would send her out into a cobblestone wall, and the Colorado wilderness. Not ideal. Left it was then! Peach absentmindedly bit her lip, not caring if she drew blood, a hand slowly gravitating towards Luigi's. She gripped it, not caring if he protested. Now was not the time to question her every move. Now was the time to accept and move on.

Stepping into the next corridor, Peach Tydal nearly wanted to crawl into a hole and die. A shadowy figure, although clearly outlined by her navy hair tumbling down into a dress, walked by stealthily into the wall, vanishing from sight. She screamed, leaping into his arms.

"You didn't see that?" Peach yelped.

He dropped her. "See what?"

"That, Luigi. _That_!" she made incoherent babble, pointing furiously at the wall again.

"What that was that?" Luigi demanded, hands on his hips.

"The- the ghost." the blonde gasped out the words, heaving to place her hands on her knees for a breather.

He frowned. "A what?"

"Had you been paying attention, you would've seen it! There was a ghost walking by. Blue hair! Long dress! Don't you believe me?" Peach pouted, marching forward.

The boy in green followed, not having anything better to do. He hated to be the bad guy, but... "Peach, I don't even trust what I've been seeing. Houses falling on my best friends, other people I care about dropping through the floor, blood in the snowstorm... my mind is fried. You are freaking out from what happened back in the shed with Lucas and Kuro-"

"I said I saw a ghost! Doesn't my word have any merit?" she screeched.

He made a grim face. "Normally anywhere, yes. In these circumstances, no."

Peach's lower lip quivered. "Are- are we going crazy down here?"

"I can't say. Perhaps if we can find anyone else they can help soothe your anxiety." Luigi offered weakly.

"I want to go find everybody else. Samus can handle herself on her own, and-"

He cut her off with a swift glare. "Are you crazy? Peach... there's a maniac out here who's been hunting us down and killing us all. If Samus is somewhere down here alone with this maniac, and we leave...? We're killing her ourselves," Luigi made his way to the basement door, opening it. He gave an inviting glance back in the other direction. "Come on. We've got a friend to save."

Peach looked slowly back at the wall, moving her hands to let it know she was watching it. _No funny business while I'm gone, asshole wall and ghosts_. She jogged down the stairs after him, skipping two steps at a time. Oddly enough, had she looked harder, she would have noticed that the fifth step from the floor, the one with the jagged mess up, had been cleaned. The grime coating the concrete slab had been wiped away, solid and squeaky clean.

"Just imagine we're going on an adventure hunt..." she whispered to herself over and over again, following Luigi's lead.

The two stepped into the main section of the basement, a ghostly halcyon light swinging above, one that hadn't been on beforehand. As she strode up to Luigi's side, a low growl came from one of the corners, and a golf ball of all items whizzed by her head, cracking against the wall. The words she was about to speak died in her throat, and he noticed, catching the next flying golf ball in his hands. "Did it hurt you?" he asked.

"N- no. Just startled me, that's all."

"Someone's deciding to up their game of golf." Luigi joked.

"Yeah," Peach agreed. " _Maybe take my head along with your fucking hole in one, too_."

"Let's split up... and maybe we'll find something."

She nodded, taking the right pathway into the basement while Luigi went left. Peach shone her light beam anywhere the darting brightness would go to, and she came to a locked door. The blonde frowned, noticing the shattered wine rack next to her. All of the bottles were empty, corks in a pile on the ground. Looking back at the door, she tried pushing it open, heaving it somehow, except nothing worked. Too heavy for her. " _No handle._ " Peach observed quietly, finding that rather peculiar. She honestly wanted to see what else lied inside the basement on the other side of the doors.

Luigi had taken the time to observe where the golf balls had been flying at his crush from the other side of the room. A small container filled with golf balls attached to a pulley system, stuck in a box. A motor ran the pulley, a satchel grabbing the golf ball, and momentum chucking it across the room. Someone had recently turned it on, and he gleefully smashed it with his fist.

Meanwhile, Peach had moved back over to his side, noticing something more... interesting, to say the least. "Hey... Luigi, come here and look at this."

"Huh?"

"How did we not notice it before when we walked in?" she said, regarding her object.

He took a step back. "Wow. Are you sure-"

Peach nodded, crouching down to the floor to get a better look at the dollhouse she had spotted from the wine cellar side of the basement. Full sized replica, at least four feet tall, three stories. Ornate square windows with a glossy sunburst and fluorescent pink coating of paint, a chimney, and even a granite sidewalk and asphalt driveway. She leaned down, looking in the windows. "Hey, you can see inside."

"Anything you can make out?" Luigi asked, leaning over her shoulder precariously.

She shook her head in dissent. "No. It's too dark."

He spotted a small keyhole above the third floor, unlocked and everything. "I guess we'll need a key if we want to play around in there, I suppose. Want to try and find the key?"

"Um... sure." Peach hated when she agreed with him.

The stood up, and no later had she had her eyes glance over the hall down past the boiler, did the same ghost she saw back up on the main floor that had walked into the wall. What the fuck...? Luigi missed it, glancing down at his phone for something quick. She gasped again. The ghost seemed to be pointing, vibrant bluenette hair cascading down in bloody locks. Peach stared in terrified stupor at the ghost of Lucina Husen. "Did you see it now? The ghost!" Peach yelled.

Luigi looked up from his phone. "Huh?"

She let out an angry, exasperated sigh, shoving him in the shoulder. "You were looking at your phone, you fucker! What are you doing? Tweeting, #AFuckingGhostIsAfterUs?"

He made a grim smile, showing her the cellular device. "The time and temperature, sweetheart," he growled. "And what ghost? The same one you're stuck up on about from the main floor."

"The ghost just walked down the hall, pointing at something I can't see. It looked like Lucina! It's Lucina, Luigi! She's haunting us."

"Do you believe what you just said? Honestly..." Luigi shook his head.

"Why can't you believe me for once?"

"What did Lucina do, Peach? She followed us down here from the fucking séance? Newsflash, she can't do that! Ghosts don't exist, okay?"

"Then give me something to believe in, then," she growled. "If it's not a ghost, then what the fuck is it?" Peach had about to her wits end of people not believing her for the shit she saw. She wasn't crazy!

The boy in green pinched his nose, blinking. "I don't know. Your mind still has to be playing tricks-"

Luigi never got to finish his statement as a picture, which had to be from down the hall where the ghost had vanished into, flew off the wall to the floor. As soon as the wooden frame clattered with tile, a piercing, feminine scream resembling Lucina Husen rippled through the basement. One of anger, one of anguish, one out of pain. Whomever truly did yell... they sounded as if they were in trouble.

They looked at each other in speechlessness, Peach breaking the gaze solemnly first, stalking down to the painting. "All this time..." she grumbled.

He followed her, much more hesitant. "How does a picture just fall off the wall like that?"

Peach had rounded the corner, seeing that the picture that had flung off strangely represented the dollhouse back against the wall in the main room of the basement. Looking at where the picture sat, a single key stood in its place, hung on a rusty nail sticking out from a board. "A key..." she whispered.

"What did you find?"

"The key. To the dollhouse."

She turned, and this time the ghost had relocated itself back to the main foyer, head down, hand outstretched and pointing at something beyond their reach. Luigi had turned at the right moment and caught the specter, before it vanished into thin air right in front of their eyes. He let out a soft yell. "There... Peach, did you-"

Peach couldn't help, but gloat. "See! You do fucking see it! I told you!"

Luigi broke into a run, grabbing her hand and dragging her along with it. "This- this is just fucking crazy."

The two skidded to a stop in front of the dollhouse, which had remained untouched. She looked at the key, then back at the keyhole, then at the key again, piercing two and two together. The blonde swallowed her fear, putting the key into the keyhole, hearing a satisfying unlatch when she turned the key to the right. She swung the front side of the dollhouse open, before stepping back to observe the terrified beauty.

"Oh my god..." she felt vomit threaten to appear in her throat.

Luigi crouched down next to her, looking in terror at the scenes splayed before them in the house. Figurines, or dolls mainly, stared back at them, only a few though were truly facing them. The three floors were modeled to show the three floors of the Husen Family Lodge. Lucina's doll, evident by the bluenette hair down in a ponytail, stood in the kitchen, washing dishes.

A doll representing Lucas lay asleep in a bed on the top floor, two dolls, being Samus and Luigi broken into a run on the bottom floor, looking for Midna, who was the fiery headed doll standing alone in a cluster on the top floor, Kuro down drunk and knocked out in the kitchen.

"Whoa... this is-"

Peach lowered the hand from her mouth. "I- what in the _fuck?_ It's like..."

"That's not like anything," Luigi stuttered, although his voice stayed firm. "That's all of us, the entire evening, last year, planned out for us. You guys pulling the prank on Midna... Samus and I searching for her while Kuro and Lucina sat in oblivion."

"It's so accurate..." she tried to stop crying. "Robin and Red situated themselves on the top of the bookshelf... Sheik and Zelda hid under the bed while I took the closet."

"This had to have been set up by someone. Who was there?"

"No, the ghost is telling us a sign. The maniac killed Lucina and Midna!"

"Peach, he told us that back in the shed. They both died by that fucker's hand, don't remind me." Luigi hissed.

"Why would he set this all up then?"

"I don't know. It's a warning, definitely. He wanted to make sure we knew... he wasn't done and over with. He was ready to come after all of us, too." Luigi said slowly, each word, each syllable pronouncing a death sentence.

"How right you are!" a third voice boomed, bringing Luigi and Peach to their feet, backing away from the dollhouse in terror.

Their new voice had come from behind them, but by then it was too late. Freak, who had snuck up behind the duo the entire time to administer and observe their mulling over the dollhouse, wanted their fun little excursion to be brought to an end. He had a rag of chloroform, slamming the rag over Luigi's mouth. The boy let out a cry, struggling to throw off his attacker. Peach screamed, getting pushed to the floor, losing the light. Freak grabbed Luigi by the head, slamming it full force into the dollhouse. He groaned, the blow seeping consciousness away with the snap of a finger.

"Luigi!" Peach yelled in terror, grabbing the light, swinging up to face Freak. She screamed again.

"My little pretty..." the serial killer cooed.

"Get back! Stay the hell away from me!" the blonde shrieked, lunging forward and clawing at his mask. Her nails latched onto Freak's mask and ripped it off, nails clawing and scratching at his eyes, drawing blood.

Freak let out a painful cry, shoving Peach off of him. "You bitch!" he howled.

She tightened her knuckles into fists, ready to go swinging. "Get back!"

"Live and learn." the killer made a tight smile.

That confused Peach. "What?"

By that point, Freak had aimed a blow straight for the underside of her jaw with the right fist, the left fist colliding with her eye. "Live and learn, _bitch_."

Both fists collided with the blonde and she fell down to the ground, out for the count.

* * *

 _ **2:45 AM, Husen Family Resort, Location Unknown, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

Luigi Russo thought he knew pain, but not until Freak had raised his head above a dollhouse and crashed it right into the wooden structure, did he know pain. He had felt himself getting dragged, the consciousness ebbing away and slowly returning in pulsating waves. Peach had been attacked too, right after the serial killer did away with him. " _I hope she's not too severely injured_."

The sound of a mechanical whirring snapped the boy's eyes awake, his body flinging forward as far as it could go before something he couldn't quite make out forced him back. He blinked, seeing that there was two shackles chained to his body keeping him stationary. One wrapped around his right leg, another at his left arm, keeping him forced from being unable to move truly anywhere. The chains had him stuck up against a rigid piece of board, a musty wooden plank bolted into the floor of some room.

Another board roughly three or so yards from him sat, although his vision was only starting to come back to him. His heart jammed itself into his own throat, seeing that the body now starting to move, chained in the opposite way of him... was _Peach_. "Hey... you awake?" he hissed at her.

The blonde snapped awake, head whirling around, diamond eyes dancing in a frantic gaze. "L- Luigi? Where are we?"

"I don't know... somewhere else in his lair. God, Peach... what did he do to you?" he said, whispering, taking in his crush for the first time in who knows how long.

Peach had two sickly bruises plastering the underside of her chin, and one encircling the right side of her face from when the two fists hit the jaw and eye. "He- I think he hit me."

A burning rage replaced the worry in Luigi's stomach. "I'm going to murder his fucking face off."

A voice popped out on a loudspeaker above them, startling the two to death. "Why... don't you wish you could do that to me, Mr. Luigi Russo? I bet you'd feel so much better after that, wouldn't you?"

" _This is the same guy who killed Kuro and Lucas. Fuck!_ "

Peach screamed. "You sick son a bitch! Luigi, I don't want to die..."

"No one's dying." Luigi said hurriedly.

Freak made a disproving sound in his throat. "Aww... I believe our green capped hero said that last time we were all caught in a sticky situation, no? My dear Mr. Russo, how I wish that was the case."

"You're a monster!"

"How couth of you." the serial killer hissed.

"Let us go... please." Peach whined.

"For someone who has insulted me to my face, that will never happen, at least until you are all dead." Freak mused.

"You touch Peach, I swear-" Luigi started.

"You'll what? Mr. Russo, need I remind you, where are you currently? Chained up against a board. Last I checked, those chains don't break off from pure strength. My dear boy, you will not be moving a fucking muscle. I can do whatever I want, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Think again like that, or I'll cut your tongue out for imprudence."

The green donned boy felt his heart hammer in his chest. The seriousness of the situation hit him full force, plaguing sickness crippling in his stomach, washing bitter acid waves over and over again to cause a churning hurt. Blasted anxiety. He licked his lips, starting to sweat. "Um... okay. We'll do whatever it is-"

"Wow, so quick to drop ship. Peach Tydal, how can you love a man like that? Must be hard," Freak taunted. "So, Mr. Russo, since you are so eager to agree, we need to establish a few ground rules."

Peach frowned. "Don't you fucking assume anything!"

Freak ignored her, yelling over the loudspeaker. "Do you understand me Luigi!"

The boy jumped, or somewhat did given his restraints. "Ye- yes."

"Do you see the gun on the table?"

Wait. _Gun?_ Freak wasn't lying. Luigi didn't know how he missed it earlier, but his caring side for Peach overshadowed everything else. In arm's reach, which dawned on the boy why his right arm was free and not his left, was a simple pistol, locked and loaded on a black table, midnight tapestry underneath the weapon.

"I- I can see the gun." Luigi said bravely.

"Pick it up."

Peach blinked. "Wait... what?"

"I'm not following-" the boy said weakly.

"Pick up the fucking gun!" Freak screamed.

Luigi squeezed his eyes shut, right hand outstretching as far as he could reach to weakly wrap his fingers around the butt of the gun. If it fell to the floor, the two were fucked. He griped it firmly, retracting, now having a lethal weapon in his hand to do whatever he wanted. Thinking fast, Luigi aimed the barrel of the pistol at the ceiling and fired two shots. Banging echoes rang throughout the hall, a low, guttural, evil laugh coming from the loudspeaker.

Peach winced. "Worth a shot..." she whispered, not seeing the irony behind her words.

"Don't be so silly, Mr. Russo. Or should I call you Luigi? I seem to jump between the two," Freak drawled. "Close range, those bullets will hurt. Far enough, where you can't touch me? Just wish. Now, you have the gun. Correct?"

"C- co- correct..." Luigi stuttered.

"Okay, simple. Shoot yourself either in the neck, or you shoot Peach. You have a single minute, _one_ minute to decide before I come in and shoot you both. Choice is yours, Mr. Russo. If I shoot, I aim to kill, I'm drawing for blood, drawing for keeps." Freak explained, the overhead canceling out in static, being replaced by the sound of a monotonous voice counting down from sixty.

Luigi looked at the gun, then back at Peach, then back at the gun in shock. He couldn't move, couldn't feel his fingers. Peach couldn't look him in the eye, her words from before flying back into his head, his words echoing after that. " _I can't have that happen, as long as I'm around to protect those who still can give a fighting chance. I'm damned to this, you know._ "

He couldn't shoot her. Not in a million years. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Peach... please look at me." Luigi said. She didn't move.

She shifted her head instead, refusing to open her eyes. "Yes..."

"I love you." he whispered, tears falling from his eyes.

Luigi placed the barrel of the pistol into the crook of his neck, finger tightening around the trigger. He kept his eyes trained on Peach, to stay focused on the beautiful girl in front of him. Halcyon locks of hair blowing in the wind, sandy waves at a beach, Kuro's radiating smile and amber eyes... the memories he loved would disappear.

He had a smile on his face when he pulled the trigger.

Luigi Russo waited for the pain.

* * *

 **There we are guys! Chapter 9, Roulette Wheel. I know in this one there truly wasn't any wheel to go off of, but I saw it in my head, alright? But, damn... eventful chapters, huh? So, clearly everyone knows what parallel this chapter has to the source material, and _how much I had to cut_ , which was an insane amount unless I wanted to choose to be here till the cows sang and called me home, which I believe none of us had time for. So, now counting on our fingers the number of people left alive, we have Samus, Sheik, and Peach for certain, all ladies of the house. *raises roof* I also had a Link and Zelda scene, but I decided to cut it for sanity purposes and I want your mind to make up the bits and details of the puzzle for yourself. Are they alive? Is anyone going to live? Who in the fuck is this Freak person? Many questions! Thanks again, like I said, for the support. You all have been amazing readers and I can't thank you enough. Have an amazing day! Please review! I'll be seeing you all shortly with Chapter #10: Apple of His Eye. Bonus points to hose who know what that statement means. Bye! Love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	10. Chapter 10: Apple of His Eye

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation, #10: Apple of His Eye. I'm not gonna lie, I love this saying, "Apple of Her Eye" or "Apple of His Eye", go and learn the saying and then come back lol. It's one that makes sense with this story. Hard to believe that I'm ten chapters into this story, so long ago I started with one measly chapter that had an evil killer that we still don't know the identity of, but oh well, there's always a lie / story behind my motives. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 _ **3:15 AM, Husen Family Resort, Location Unknown, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

If Samus Adderage had her arms free, she would've gladly ripped the face off of Freak, the asshole who felt competent to mess up their not so perfect vacation because he apparently could. She could, if given the chance, also kick him in the crotch with a heeled foot. Nothing wrong with wanting to get revenge back on the people who hurt you. The blonde had been locked up in a room, something she could at least make out with little trouble. Bound to a chair by some rough rope, there'd be no hope of getting free, after an hour of attempted rescuing of her own self, she realized, Samus Adderage would be going nowhere.

His hot breath on her neck, the way nails raked down her back. Before she had fully fallen asleep due to the injection of who knows what the fuck what in, Samus could feel his hands over her. Freak literally acted like a freak, a creeper to take advantage of beautiful girls while knocked out... that's why she wanted to rip his face off. Had she felt something protruding and penetrating from the backside... she would've ripped him a new one.

"Psst..." a voice whispered from afar. Samus winced, waking up groggily and slowly, her head hurting excessively. "Samus Adderage, do you even hear me?"

The blonde currently tied to the chair glanced over, or at least the best way she could, at the new speaker to see _another blonde_ staring at her from down below through a barred wall. She opened her eyes wide. "Sheik!" she hissed.

Sheik Boeing gritted her teeth at the acknowledgement of her name being yelled aloud, the blonde looking over her shoulders skittishly. She looked... she looked _terrible_. Hair done shittily, darken circles under her eyes, blood caking her face, tears staining her cheeks. What happened to her? "Samus..." she whispered again. "Get over here!"

Samus rolled her eyes. "Do I look like in any shape or form to move myself over there?"

"Quit your whining, just shut the fuck up and scoot the chair to where I am. Now! I'm trying to help you."

The girl tied in the chair blinked. Where had this fierceness come from? Very... unladylike. Surely Sheik had to have been replaced by some demon of some sort. Not her most favorite dabble of knowledge. Samus sighed to herself, trying to spin the chair around to face a desk. She propelled her feet to the wooden structure and then kicked off of it, the chair flying back so her back slammed into the metal bars.

"Fuck!" she cried out. The reverberations of the chair slamming into the wall plus her yell made Sheik lose her shit, eyes dancing frantically around the walls.

"You need to be more careful," Sheik chastised. "We could have been royally screwed right there, and you know it. What if someone heard you and came back to finish off a job. I couldn't live with that, watching you get hurt." she dropped her voice low at that, looking down at the ground.

"Well, I'm here," Samus snapped. "Untie me, now."

Sheik's hands masterfully went to work at the knots keeping her friend's hands bound, and once those were snapped off, Samus leaped from the chair rather unexpectedly, and when safe from the wooden prison, she took a steel rod lying on the ground and bashed the chair to pieces. Sheik watched in amusement rather than astonishment at the brutal violence that took place- seemed rather comical personally, to someone who went through chasing their boyfriend out in the open wilderness and perhaps worse, when at the end of it all, Marth could be dead and she wouldn't even know how.

The blonde who had been set free crouched low so she could meet eye-to-eye with her rescuer.

"Thank you so much for finding me... you don't know how relieved I am." she exhaled.

"Are you okay? Please don't tell me he hurt you," A nod. "You're okay. Good to hear." Sheik's eyes flared up before relaxing, knowing no harm came to her friend that she could tell from face value just by looking at her.

Samus got a full fledged look of the blonde, who seemed worse for wear. "Holy shit... Sheik, what happened to you? Blood, ice, tears... did someone _hurt_ you?"

The other girl's eyes set softly in the distance, a locked jaw confirming some dark secret. "Not me, exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"Marth."

"And?" Samus prodded.

Sheik's ruby eyes turned straight to anger, though there was a hint of resentment and cold fear plastered through them as well. "He and I were having some alone time to ourselves out in the guest cabin, Robin had left earlier in the evening. We were chatting... and someone, or _something_ , broke in and took Marth. Took my darling right from my arms. Had to chase this apparent kidnapper, this... _motherfucker_ who ruined my day, to get my boyfriend back. I finally- Samus you don't even know... I finally reached him. Hurt, scathed, but alive and breathing. Till he disappeared from me again, dropped down into some elevator shaft I couldn't see the bottom of. I lost Marth! The fucker who took him taunted me, and no way in hell would I let this bastard run away with someone I cared about. Saw blonde hair before falling into the same pit as Marth. Got lost in a tunnel... found you. I've been trying to wake you for the past fifteen minutes, to my unsuccessful luck." she ran through the proceedings of the entire night.

Samus's bright crystalline eyes widened, a hand flying to her mouth. "So- so it was true..."

The other girl, far more confused at this point than upset, frowned. "What- what is?"

"Something I saw when I got attacked-"

" _Attacked?_ " Sheik let out a yelp.

"A guy named Freak invaded the lodge and chased after me. I couldn't find you, or Kuro, or Lucas... or anyone for that matter."

"Someone on the mountain is trying to kill us all, Sam. A dude who knows our weaknesses and has tracked us to the very pits of destruction. You should see what I found down here in this tunnel."

"I'd- I'd rather not." Samus made a face.

"Switches turning the lights in the lodge on and off... all these clown and scarecrow dummies with painted on faces that looked strikingly close to ours... oh the horror..." Sheik put her face in her hands. "I had to look away."

"This person trying to kill us all... that's the dude I told you about." the blonde trapped in the room licked her lips fearfully.

"Is that why-"

"Exactly."

"Go on then."

"He locked me in the screening room, Sheik. Freak did. Showed me these videos... our friends were in them. Kuro had been impaled on a spike... Lucas getting crushed by a fallen building. Robin got stabbed in the neck with a knife, Red roasted by a flamethrower. Marth being ripped away from the cabin like you said... all of it was true. That's why we haven't seen them since we've gotten here and split up! They're all dead Sheik!" Samus cried.

Sheik didn't want to put two and two together immediately, her features crossing and branching to another thought. "Did you see Link in the montage?"

The other girl frowned, taken slightly aback. "No. Why?"

"I told you Samus! When I fell down into this hall, the killer stood over me. He had blonde hair! Link is Freak, Sam! He has to be! Lucas is the only blonde besides us and you told me he had been in the video of everyone's... deaths," she swallowed at this, Sheik did, face pale. "There's no other explanation. Zelda and Link have been killing us all from the moment we split up. It's why the stupid skank got into an argument with me in the first place! So this divide could happen..."

"Are you sure... that seems a bit too rash." Samus bit her bottom lip.

That's when Sheik noticed what her friend was clothed in. "Sam... are you in a towel?"

The blonde looked down, not noticing herself that the white robe still somehow stayed wrapped around her at the shoulders, although it certainly didn't live the disgusting takeaway that took place, dirt, grime, filth, blood, and shards of glass littering the soft cotton. Her cheeks burned sheepishly. "Yeah. Got surprised while taking a bath. Not the best outfit to fight serial killers in."

Sheik couldn't help but laugh. "Duly noted."

"So... with this conspiracy theory you have, you gonna help me get out of this or are we going to sit here till we get hurt again?" Samus asked, a bit of rudeness poking through her tone.

Her friend's eyes darkened. "Right. I would've helped you out, but there's a door on my side that I cannot get open. Locked and jammed shut- all the good stuff. Could you possibly get it open from the other way? I bet your door connects to it." Sheik shrugged.

"I don't see why it wouldn't hurt. Sure. Give me... give me a moment."

Samus backed up from the grate, going to the only entrance to the room that held her captive. A backpack so ironically and helpfully sat on the wooden table she had pushed herself off of, and next to that, a flashlight. She rolled her eyes. " _How helpful this would've been... no?"_

Throwing the backpack over her shoulder, and holding the flashlight in her left hand, Samus shuddered. Eerily reminded her of old times, one not passed more than a few hours ago where the same old towel kept her going down a basement into a nightmarish world ruled over by a killer in a mask known as Freak. One nice bruise splotched itself at her knees, where she had tripped and fell. She clucked a tongue. Failure occurred then. Fuck.

The blonde wrenched open the door from her room, stuck at a two-way hallway. A metal door on the right which she couldn't open even if she tried, and a wooden door on the left, nothing blocking it from being traveled through. Samus frowned. "You would've thought that whomever designed this would have learned better construction and security guidelines..." she muttered to herself.

Opening that door, she stepped into a wider room with shelves lined up with multiple objects of many shapes and sizes. Samus's heart flew into her throat when her eyes glanced over a pistol, midnight black, perhaps fully loaded. Another door had Sheik's incessant knocking, one of impatience and rapping, always from her did a beat exist. Samus unlocked the door, allowing her other blonde friend entrance.

When they saw each other, immediately the two girls flung into a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!" Sheik stuttered out.

"No kidding. I- I'm sorry about Marth."

Sheik's eyes clouded. "I'm sorry about a lot of things too. Can't help them sometimes, you know. Perhaps- perhaps I shouldn't have run after him. Maybe we'd be better off." Her voice cracked, hard and rough, smooth limestone breaking with a single karate chop.

"Don't say that."

"It seemed to me I was too late to even do a thing."

"You weren't too late to save me."

"Lucky chance," Sheik bit back. She nodded her head. "Is there anything in that backpack? Clearly I don't expect you to fumble around here still in a towel. Naked won't work either, thank you _very_ much."

"No problem." Samus laughed.

The blonde went behind the door to change, seeing as there were some jeans, a bra, a white t-shirt, and a simple jacket to do her well. She shrugged. " _Better than nothing I guess_." Once done changing, the newly made athlete, gymnastics trainer, running away from psychopathic serial killer Samus Adderage smiled to let people know she was ready to take on the world.

"Anything you noted out of the ordinary?" Sheik asked.

"A metal door I couldn't get open. Have no idea what could be on the other side?"

The girls couldn't meet each others eyes. "Freak himself?"

"If so, we need to be prepared to well... to fight."

"Put this thing to bed?"

Samus nodded. "Exactly my thinking."

Sheik growled low in her throat. "The things I'd like to do to him."

"The things we'll refrain from unless it is truly our evil vigilante on the other side of that door."

"I have my fists to protect myself. What do you have?"

"Nothing."

Sheik eyed the pistol on the counter. "Want to use the gun?"

"No firearms. Thank you. Never even touched one. Bow and arrow? Yes. Mechanical weapon with bullets? Never even let my fingers graze the magazine. Probably hurt someone else than the intended."

"That's the issue with these things." The pistol got picked up, shaken about. One of the girls made a face, disgust and relief mixed into two.

"There a problem?" Samus frowned.

"Clip is empty. Has no usage anyways." Sheik wrinkled her nose, disappointment evident in her face.

"What should I use?"

"How about the pipe leaning against the wall?"

"Hmm?" Samus turned to face the wall from the door she had come through. A rusty lead pipe at about three feet long lay against it, seemingly not having been touched in thousands of years given its decrepit look. Better to bash someone's brains in then to see their organs splattered out all alongside the carpet with crimson stained leaflets pouring out. Pole it was then. She grabbed it, sizing it up.

"Good?"

"Good." she accentuated.

"Like you said," Sheik spoke, stepping forward, "Let's put this thing to bed, shall we?"

The two girls walked forward, linking arms. The rusty pipe felt strange yet comforting in Samus's arms, Sheik's ruby gaze examining every crevice, every little spot she could find to bash in with her fists, feet, and even skull to take a dramatic turn. Nothing would get the best of her twice in one day, for sure as fuck not. Both were back in the original hallway of decisions, the looming metal door abrasive and taunting in front of them.

A voice could be heard crying from the other side. "Peach... I had to choose myself! Perhaps he bluffed... yeah, he bluffed! Look at me!"

Sheik frowned, eyes dangerously narrowing. "Is- is that crying I hear?"

"Sounded like Luigi," Samus whispered. "Come on. Help me get this open."

The two grunted heavily, slamming all of their body weight into it. One rumble did nothing, the next caused both to fly into it at a thousand miles an hour before crashing into the open room, both blonde girls piled atop each other in a heated mess of pipe, fist, and flesh. When the dust settled, the two girls got to their feet and took in their new surroundings.

Luigi and Peach stood a few yards away from them, open mouthed and open eyed in shock, chained to separate boards of wood facing each other. The terrified boy clad in green had a gun similar to the same pistol found in the shop clutched in his hands, pointing it under his jaw. A nasty blue and black bruise painted his chin, blood oozing out. The blonde chained across from him had a very weak voice, screaming and yelling at him to stop. To stop hurting her. Hands weren't _even_ touching her. Where did this terrified state come from? Who bound them up like this?

Peach noticed the girls first, tears threatening to spill down her face. "Samus..." She didn't even notice Sheik existed. Her diamond eyes were wide, chest rising and falling heavily. "Luigi! She's alive. Sammy is alive!"

"Please help us!" he croaked out, wanting to drop the gun from his grasp.

Samus and Sheik locked eyes, vaulting forward to their friends sides. Sheik rummaged in a drawer for a key, Samus finding it on the floor equidistant between the two boards. "Got it!" she cried, leaping for it and immediately rushing to Luigi's aid. She fumbled inexpertly with the lock chaining his left wrist and right foot to the board, and once she got him free, Luigi collapsed into his arms, sobbing a great mess, pleading at her hair.

"Oh my god Samus... thank you so much... thank you for everything. You don't know..." he babbled on. Samus tossed the key at Sheik who then helped Peach free, a somewhat same result occurring in her arms next.

The two girls scooted closer to each other so Luigi and Peach could hug it out and sob together. "What the fuck did Freak put them through?" Sheik whispered to Samus. The blonde could only shrug at her companion.

A low rumble came from behind them, and the four twirled and or looked at the commotion. Freak stood in the midst of it all, laughing, hands poised perfectly with a knife in his hands. "My... my... looks like my toys got free. Fun time, now?"

Peach stepped up boldly. "No! You get away from us, you fucking monster!"

Luigi bravely strode up, pointing the barrel of the pistol he still had in his hands at the serial killer's head. "I hope this hurts, far worse than anything you could derive to us!" He fired three shots, pointe blank. The rocketing deafening roar of the gun caused Samus to clutch her ears, Sheik taking her pole, ready to advance on him the second trouble appeared.

The three bullets struck Freak in the shoulders, but it was as if the bullets hit a mountain and couldn't pierce through, hitting him with the force of a Mach truck, the speed of a train, and then stopping dead to clatter to the floor. Freak stood there and laughed some more, apparent by the shock and horror plastering on the four's faces. "Oh, you're still silly, my Luigi Russo."

The boy who fired the shots looked at the gun in surprise. "What the fuck?"

"I mean... haven't you heard of blanks before, child?"

Sheik's head lit up like a light bulb. Luigi seemed to have shot himself in the jaw, and got a bruise with bleeding, but not death because the bullets were blanks! They didn't hurt! That's how Freak could take three in one go and not even be affected.

"You think for one second we're going to-" Samus started, voice in a low growl.

Freak held up a hand. Diplomatic relations here? Bullshit. Far from it. "Allow me, firstly, my friends."

 _Friends?_ What in the human holy fuck was this guy going on about...

The serial killer reached up for his mask and took it off. Peach nearly fainted on the spot. Revealed to the four friends was the dark haired, amber eyed, grinning face of Kuro Husen, someone supposed to be... somewhat dead.

* * *

 **And there we are guys! Chapter 10! Apple of His Eye! Originally this was going to be a tad bit longer with two scenes, but I've decided it'd be best to keep those scenes for the next chapter that'll take me a few days to write as I've got a lot planned. We have one more chapter left with the main story and then our epilogue, which I'm also proud to do as we'll have two new characters introduced for the very end... which may or may not allude to a possible sequel, hmm? So, thanks for reading this one guys, sorry it isn't as long as the chapters before it- but the next two certainly will be 6k+ and I won't stop writing either chapter till I do. I've got nine days before the end of the contest, the update is somewhere in the middle of that down the road and in between. So, yeah... surprise? Kuro's alive! But wait! We saw him die didn't we? Guess not. Surprise, motherfuckers! Anywhom, thanks for reading, and please review! Let me know what you thought, it'll mean so much. Have an amazing day guys!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	11. Chapter 11: Crimson Stained Games

**Hey everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing here with Chapter 11 of Pluto Vacation, Crimson Stained Games. Our Freak has been revealed to be Kuro, which I bet none of you are surprised at and even if you are, there had to be a moment of suspicion, especially given the circumstances. Many points alluded to it, such as the baseball bat having the letter 'F' standing for the psychopath's name and all. But, I digress. This will be quite the long and momentous chapter, so get ready for a long and wild ride.**

* * *

 _ **3:54 AM, Husen Family Resort, Location Unknown, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

The four friends stared in shock at the now laughing dark haired boy believed to be dead. Kuro Husen and all of his amber eyed cockish glory bent over his knees, coughing and hacking the life out of him with a humorous air behind it. "You should have seen your faces guys... I mean..." he wiped tears away from his eyes.

Sheik and Samus made the bold statement to step forward, fists clenched. "Have you lost your _fucking_ mind?" the latter asked.

"I knew it... he did stop taking his medication." Luigi frowned, trying to process what was even happening in front of him. Mind numbing shock if asked, perhaps. How he'd been forced to shoot himself in the jaw with a gun or shoot the one person who meant more to him than anyone else in the world... how could someone be that cold?

"Medication?" Sheik echoed.

"Yeah," the boy clad in green said again. "He had been prescribed depression and suicidal medication from a psychiatrist named Mario after Lucina and Midna died."

"Or did he kill them too..." Peach asked hollowly.

Kuro's eyes turned to slits, and his face turned beet red. "I didn't kill my sisters, you assholes!"

"But you tried killing us! You did kill us!" Samus argued back.

The Husen boy blinked. "No... I didn't. The gun had blanks, those weren't supposed to hurt unless shot at the heart, which I explicitly told him not to do... and the solution I used against you had zero lethal substances in it."

"Don't try and play innocent with us!" Sheik snapped.

"I'm not! Who are you referring to?" Kuro's voice sounded genuinely confused and misplaced, as if he couldn't tell the truth from lies anymore.

"Robin and Red are dead! She had been stabbed in the throat with a knife, Red burned alive," Samus screamed, almost leaping for him. "You killed them both, you bastard! Link and Zelda haven't been seen all night. I bet you had something to do with that too, didn't you? I got chased through this fucking house for your precious little game... were you going to kill me too? You took Marth from the guest cabin, having Sheik run after him! You're a monster!"

Luigi rubbed his neck. "Guys... I don't think Kuro is lying..."

"Oh, that there's someone else on the mountain by the name of Freak killing all of us?" Sheik responded sarcastically.

Kuro made a grim smile. "Sheik... Samus, I don't remember killing anyone... I _didn't_ kill anyone! The only thing I did was kidnap Lucas and Peach into the shed with me where I faked getting captured... and then I went after Samus... I haven't seen anyone else all night."

Peach rose her head up. "But you were in the room with me when we got attacked... does that mean someone else played Freak for you? Then swapped roles?" The girl groaned, clutching her head. It made no sense.

"Yeah. You're right about that." He couldn't meet her eyes.

Samus made a backwards motion with her hands. "I saw you die in front of my own eyes, Kuro. A spike straight through the chest, bleeding everywhere, eyes glazed over... you couldn't possibly have faked that."

"Oh, but I did, Adderage. It's called using a dummy body, and the spike also wasn't sharp, it was made of paper machete. The blood was old packets of ketchup gone terribly old."

"Who would have possibly been-" Sheik started, when a loud knock cut her off. Everyone minus Kuro jumped. He grinned to himself.

" _Time to make things right._ "

Everyone's head flicked to the door, where the two blonde rescuers had come from just ten minutes earlier, to see another blonde head peek through, covered in dust, blood, and other horrendous extremities. _Lucas_.

"Lucas!" Peach screamed, racing out of Luigi's arms to the injured boy, wrapping her arms around him.

"Ow!" he hissed.

"S- sorry."

Now it was time for Luigi's face to turn ashen. "But... the cabin... it destructed itself and crushed you. I saw the blood. How are you alive?"

"House was made out of paper machete too, the entire thing." Lucas grinned.

"Are you alright?" Samus asked.

"I suppose so. Few scrapes and bruises."

Sheik looked at Kuro. "So... you decided to scare us all out of our fucking minds for some prank? Why? I thought you said you didn't want to hurt anyone-"

"I didn't," the Husen boy reprimanded. "That's why the cabin I trapped Lucas, Peach, and myself in was made harmlessly, in case someone got crushed."

"Did you know about this whole thing?" Samus questioned Lucas, the boy swapping hugs between Peach and Luigi.

"Pretty much, yeah. A majority of the details, Kuro filled me in on them while we waited for you all to get here. I acted as Freak when Peach and him were captured, then he woke up from hurt him, and did the same to me. Simple stuff."

"I don't understand the pranking though..." Luigi frowned, rubbing his chin, glancing back at Kuro.

The amber eyed male growled low in his throat. "That's because you don't! Lucina and Midna were amazing girls, brilliant and beautiful sisters till you all fucked up and pulled a prank on them that got them killed. Lucina and Midna can't laugh about it now, can they? Nope, they're gone! So I wanted to make you feel the exhilarated fright, the feeling of terror that keeps you standing stock still... you'd feel the pain and die from it in your heart!"

"He told me all of that, too," Lucas breathed heavily. "Not that I necessarily agreed with him either on any of the things mentioned, but it felt like good payback. Believe him when he says it, he had no intention of killing or hurting anyone. Me on the other hand..." the blonde trailed off.

An uneasy silence settled over the room. Peach automatically resided to Luigi's side, hands clutching together. Samus's voice dropped into a low whisper. "Lucas... what are you talking about?"

The blonde had en eerily quiet calm wash over him. "Isn't it so simple? Sheik of all people should remember my face by now..."

Said girl gasped. "Fuck! Guys-"

Lucas nodded. "Yes, that was indeed me. My voiceover, in the guest cabin. It's why Kuro got so angry when finding out _I_ killed his sisters, that _I_ raped them. How I killed Red and Robin with the expert flip of my hand. _I_ took Marth from the cabin, causing Sheik to run after him and I, to watch her loved one die in front of her very own eyes. How I tricked Zelda and Link onto the fire tower, only to send it plummeting to the snow below, causing it to collapse into the mines... all of it was done by me. And how it made me have to tell you this all now in the sudden instance of revelation for it to finally piece the fuck together... you're all so damn stupid and slow," The boy made a movement into his jacket. "It's a shame I can't leave any of you alive now, at this point it is too risky."

Kuro's eyebrows furrowed together, skin turning a more jackal red. "Lucas... are you saying-"

"Yes, I did everything. Your sisters had such lovely screams, and so do you." the blonde said with an emotionless face. He pulled out a pistol, taking one point blank shot straight for the Husen boy's head, killing him instantly.

He turned around to fire more shots, noticing that the company of friends had all screamed and ran out of the basement, probably heading for the sanity of the upstairs. Lucas snorted. _"_ _And God said, let there be light. I'm that light. Enjoy, my fellow angels!"_

* * *

Peach ran up the staircase to the main floor, screaming her belligerent head off. How could they have been so stupid to not realize it? They got played perfectly into Lucas's hand, that there had always been something off about the blonde pilot, and she couldn't quite pierce it together. Why out of all the friends chosen to be taken into the hands of the evil killer, he had been. The boy blatantly refused to partake in the game, but on the same token, made no attempt to dissuade the others in fulfilling their dreadful dream, and even then did his efforts seem full of vain in the end.

She did find it peculiar how Lucas went to bed so early that evening when they had just arrived in the cabin, the day hadn't been too tiring, but it clicked on her, he had spent all day hooking everything up to kill them with.

" _Holy shit... we are all so stupid_." the blonde girl thought mournfully, before stopping dead up in the main floor of the lodge.

A worse for wear Zelda Friedrich and Link Dillon stood in the living room of the lodge, the latter holding an unconscious Marth Lowell in his arms. Sheik stopped by Peach, her heart caught in her throat. "Oh my god... Marth!"

Samus had reached the duo, hugging them. "Thank the heavens you're safe. Listen, we all need to get out of here and we can explain later-"

"Tisk, tisk, Miss Adderage. Nothing is as simple as that, ever. At least, not with me." Lucas's voice cutting her off, his own coming from behind them.

Everyone turned to see the blonde boy, now turned serial maniac killer sitting on a chair at the head of the stairs, a royal golden crown sitting atop his head, a purple cloak around his shoulders. He opened out his arms, in a welcoming gesture full of madness. "Care to join me?"

"Can you do us a favor and kindly fuck off?" Zelda hissed.

"I'll gladly fuck one of you instead." Lucas opined.

Luigi gagged. "You're sick."

The killer laughed. "Thank you, I've noticed. No, but seriously, join me for a game. We'll play six rounds of it, because poor Marth Lowell is incapacitated, and our lovely Kuro Husen who never got to truly explain himself now lies dead on the basement floor with a bullet in his forehead. The lovely eight couldn't be reunited to form one again, which is a damn shame."

"Go to hell." Peach said boldly.

"Why, aren't we already there?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"We aren't going to listen to you." Samus stuck her nose in the air defiantly.

"Oh, you're not? I have no issue killing you all again. Nothing wrong with that." the blonde pulled out the same gun and aimed at Samus, firing a bullet that went by her ear. She flinched, almost letting out a scream. The boy meant business.

"You can't expect to threaten all of us..." Link dropped his voice to a low whisper.

"No, but Mr. Dillon, I can bribe you and give you all everything you could possibly dream of... so let's play our game," Lucas smirked, eyes flashing with some sort of emotion. His eyes scanned the crowd, before landing primly on Peach. "Miss Tydal, would you like to let us do the honors?"

She jumped, almost slapping Luigi across the face. "No!"

"Yes!" the killer shouted in enthusiastic craziness.

The boy in green wrapped his arms around her. "Don't you fucking lay a finger on her... or I swear Lucas Samuels, I'll rip you apart-"

"Just like how you promised you'd rip Kuro apart for punching her?" the blonde asked, taunting him.

"Fuck you!"

"Kindly, Mr. Russo," Lucas smiled. "Shall we get started, Peach?"

"Like I said, don't you lay a finger on her." Luigi threatened.

Lucas waggled a finger. "No problem. _Besides,_ I won't be doing the honors of fucking her up anyways. My little friend here will." He pulled out a remote of some sort and stabbed the red button in the middle of the slate cube.

Everyone's head whirled to where a low rumbling sounded from on the main floor. Against the right wall that led into the kitchen, a full suit of a knight in armor shook and rattled. A dim light echoed from inside the mask, before a groan and the sound of gears clinking together caused the knight to _move_. It stepped off of the pedestal, ripping out from the walls were wires that attached onto the arms and legs. A lethal looking sword was placed in the hands of said creation, and the friends watching gulped in static shock, only hoping that the weapon had been made out of plastic and not metal.

Peach swallowed her fear. "Am I doing a staring contest with it?" she asked hopefully.

"Not even close," Lucas scolded. "I'd like you to fight it. Defeat it, if you will. And don't worry, the blade isn't as sharp as you'd think. You could sustain a few hits before having the sword start to inflict real damage."

She curled her hands into fists. "What do I got to work with?"

"Anything on this bottom floor, my dear lady."

"Do not call me that." Peach said steely.

Lucas feigned surprise. "That's harsh. Miss Tydal, take your fight in full stride."

The knight began to move with a sudden, surprising laxness in the joints, lunging expertly for Peach. The girl screamed, and leaped out of the way. Everyone else minus Lucas jumped back too, Link setting Marth down on the couch so he could rest and eventually wake up from it all. Peach landed harrowingly on her feet, almost losing her balance where the sword could have impaled her.

She delivered a swift kick to the chest of the knight, as if she had just slammed a rose petal into Mt. Everest of all fucking things, her limb responding out in cruel shock. Peach screamed, and then cried out as the knight gripped her ankle and flung the blonde over its shoulder, the girl flying and slamming into the back of a couch. She could feel the metallic taste of copper blood in her mouth, and a really intense pain in the back of her head, but she couldn't stop now. Peach weakly got to her feet, searching for something. A fire poker stuck out at her as a main weapon.

Peach dove for it, dodging another strike. Lucas watched in curiosity as she grabbed the stabber that moved wood out of the way to allow flame in, when she lunged for the knight and stabbed it in the arm. It practically bounced off harmlessly, and she tried again, while using her right hand to distract the knight, the electrical wiring gave it a mind of its own. Then, using the same hand, she reached for its neck, gripping the metal head like a bottle of water to wrench open, and she twisted it with all of her might, getting a satisfying pop. The deed wasn't over just yet, though.

The blonde yelled with all of her might, thrusting the poker straight into the neck of the knight. A low whirring sound brought her heart back to normal levels before she collapsed into the arms of Luigi, who held her up as her emotions soared, the knight toppling over, decapitated.

Lucas stood up and clapped. "Very well done, despite the short time it took to fight. Who's next? I have the perfect blonde in mind... Sheik Boeing... I gave you too little of a break. Why not join the hilarity of possibly dying?"

* * *

Sheik Boeing gritted her teeth together, holding hands with Link out of comfort and reassurance. He blinked, and Zelda scowled, but in the midst of everything that was the least of her problems. She stepped forward. "You want me to be next? Fine. Throw the worst thing you possibly have out there at me."

Lucas made a shrug of the shoulders, eyes twinkling. He tossed down a large bar, one that resembled a power cord strip, except there were five switches. A luck game perhaps? Sheik caught it, examining it, although she decided to ultimately not to touch it. Five different buttons stared back at her in stone cold evil, one crimson, another cerulean, followed by a dark olive, then halcyon, and lastly amaranthine. Hmm...

The serial killer grinned at her confusion, getting riled up beneath his pants. Something about her expression made his body very hot _and_ horny. He closed his eyes briefly, before lowering his assuredness level to a more minimal one. "What you have in front of you is something I call, the 'Choose Who Gets To Live or Die Panel'. Basically, what it does, is that there is a gimmicky system similarly to that of cutting cords for bomb defusing.

Sheik's gaze narrowed. "Another gambling game? Fine by me."

"Each button has a different action corresponding to color. One switch will simply explode responding to touch, perhaps killing you or setting yourself on fire, to so mockingly laugh at how Red Kyne died earlier on this vacation. Another will have a hidden blowgun somewhere in this room fire a dart randomly at one of your friends, which from there will have a poison lacerate their bones. A third switch is the least painful of all, my simply favorite song will be played on the overhead system for five seconds at excruciating volume to hopefully blow out your eardrums. The fourth button turns off the explosive, and the fifth button will shut down the entire panel, making you win this game. Shall you play?"

"I shall." A sudden burst of confidence, and the blonde female felt capable of doing anything.

She looked helplessly at the panel. Lucas's singsong voice mocked her from above. "Oh, my dear Boeing, you must pick one."

Sheik stabbed at the amaranthine switch with a feverish intent. The killer closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen. The red switch inadvertently blinked off, and he grinned. "What- what did I do?" the girl asked impatiently.

"You turned off the explosion switch, which happened to ironically be the red one. Funny how Red Kyne died to fire, which is ironic as flame normally is a ripe and vibrant mix of that and orange. You're lucky. Pick another though. Either the song has to happen, the blow dart, or the simple shut down of the panel. Time starts now, again."

The blonde girl pressed the halcyon button in urgency, not caring exactly what happened. Lucas waited and grinned evilly, a small sound alerting to his correctness. "Oooh, bad luck. I guess the blow dart has made its presence known."

A lost breath hitched itself in Sheik's throat and she stared back at her friends, all whom of which had ducked underneath something or each other, primarily Luigi covering Peach, and Link covering Zelda to take one for the team. Samus took refuge under the sofa. Sheik squinted, seeing something stuck in one of the pillows against the sofa. It looked like a dart.

"It seems as if though your trajectory missed its mark." she smirked.

Lucas frowned, before leaning forward to peer at something. He cussed. "Dammit, you're right."

"What's that?" Sheik raised an eyebrow, almost reveling in glee.

"Peach had moved a photo of Kuro out of the way from being burned by a lit candle. The dart was supposed to come from the picture, so she saved someone. Had it been in the right place, Luigi would've been knocked out, presumably dead at this point. Thank Peach and her worriedness to not set this place on fire."

Luigi let out a huge sigh of relief. Peach made another wailing noise, sobbing into her hands.

Sheik gritted her teeth once more. How this bastard of a man was affecting them all by once, slowly and surely, where they'd collapse at the waist sides. They wouldn't lost their better halves to the evil known as Lucas Samuels. "I've still got another two switches to go, and they possibly can't be bad as the worst is over. I choose the olive green."

She slammed a finger down on it, and the entire panel fell apart in her grasp. She smirked. _Hah_. Lucas cussed. "Fine. You _fucking_ win, okay? And since Mr. Russo did to get to keep his life out of random luck, I suppose I'll jump on the bandwagon and call him down. Luigi, time to meet your fate once and for all."

* * *

Luigi Russo thought he knew fear. No, he was wrong, absolutely wrong about that. Staring down the face of once a great friend who had the potential to hurt all of those who he cared about, it sold all the old past nightmares and scares when his phone battery percentage would drop below 2%, now it mattered and meant business.

He swallowed the heaviness in his throat he didn't know he had, and the boy clad in green stepped proudly up to the plate. "Give me all you've got."

"Not a wise choice, Mr. Russo." Lucas snickered.

"I bet you've already done the worst of it."

"Stop giving me so much of the credit, please learn to have dignity for a change."

"Give it to me, _Lucas_." Luigi hissed, his hands curling into fists.

"I Spy." the serial killer said.

What a fucking joke. " _You've got to be kidding me,"_ Luigi thought. "I SPY? That's the maniacal madness I've got to work with?"

"I can still shoot you if you fuck up," Lucas reminded him. "You should be grateful that the worst I have to offer you is an elementary school game."

"Perhaps." he said with a low growl.

"So... I spy, with my little eye something blue and unconscious!"

"Marth." Try again.

"Easy," Lucas stuck out his tongue. "I spy, with my little eye, something white that falls from the sky."

"Snow." Even harder next time. What an idiot.

"I spy, with my little eye, a girl who loves you, one who undoubtedly will never stop thinking about you till the day you die."

Luigi frowned. " _Who is he talking about?_ Err... Samus?"

Lucas leveled the gun at his face and fired a warning shot, shooting straight between the boy's legs. He nearly fainted on the spot. "Wrong! Mr. Russo, are you so fucking dumb you can't see the girl straight in front of you. How bad must you be where I have to explain this to you? My dear boy, it's Peach Tydal! Always has been, where she cared too much since it has always been in her DNA. You must have been going soft on me all these years."

The boy in green looked at the blonde, eyes disparaging. "Peach... is- is it true?"

She nodded solemnly, hugging him. "I love you..." Peach whispered into the crook of his neck.

Luigi breathed in. "I love you too."

"Why the fuck not? I guess you're already done, the sappiness is quite disgusting," Lucas shuddered. "New victim! Why, Zelda Friedrich, thank you very much for stepping up to the plate!"

* * *

The serial killer examined his nails, not minding the brunette with even the slightest motions. "Man, the beauty from Harvard Law. The girl who so willingly trash talks others for the specific reason of why the fuck not, beautiful in body, nasty in tongue. Miss Zelda Friedrich, I've chosen the easiest game for you, but it requires a fully responsive mind. Do you understand me?"

Zelda nodded, hearing him loud and clear. "Perfectly." Her voice cracked, and she gave Link's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"The fun game of riddles, where you constantly required to be on your toes. Get one flat out wrong, I'll shoot you. Be close enough, but still incorrect, and I'll fire a bullet somewhere at you that could be painful or not hurt at all. Bleeding out is a fun way to go, after all." Lucas teased.

"These were the epitome of awful in my English class. I know too many of them for it to be a challenge."

"Okay, is that so," the blonde raised an eyebrow, hand clutching the pistol in his lap. "Then we shall try, won't we?"

Link leaned into his girlfriend's ear. "Please don't fuck up, oh _please_."

"We have nothing to worry about it." she snarked back.

Lucas wiped some of his hair out of his eyes. "Let's start then, shall we? What comes down, but never comes up?"

"Easy. Rain. Harder one, please. Don't want me to be sitting here, bored to death."

The serial killer's nostrils flared, he could practically imagine killer her right then and now, but he couldn't break the rules. "Fine. I'm tall when I'm young, but short when I am old. What am I?"

"A candle. Heard that one a million and one fucking times. Can we do something better here?" Zelda yawned, disrespecting Lucas right to his face.

Samus hooted. "That's right. Beat his ass to the ground with words."

"Want to play that game, do you? Sure, we can do that. What has a foot, but no legs?"

"A snail." the brunette said without a moment's hesitation.

"Fuck off." Lucas snarled.

"Oh, and I'm hurting you by knowing how to play the game? Newsflash, Mr. Blondie, you've had me at, a game of riddles."

"Free to go..." the serial killer whined.

"Thank you."

* * *

Samus Adderage had been through enough with watching her friends die and become close to dying right in front of her. All it took now was a simple game of intelligence and smarts, which is why she had Peach's fire poker clutched in her hands so she could throw it at the blonde fucker the moment she got to.

Lucas smiled to himself in the freaky way only he knew how to, and crossed his legs to how a girl could sit. "Oh, why, it's my lovely blonde Sam friend. Glad to see you're doing well. How was that bath?"

"Fuck you, bastard."

"How couth."

"We never said anything about respectful of each other, you know." Samus pointed out.

"I suppose not," the boy laughed. "But it is fun pretending we chose a civil path to express our differences. That's why, for you, all I simply want to do is talk. A blonde friend to another blonde friend. You can sometimes be as boring as white toothpaste."

"Well, we've always said you needed to be clean." she fired back.

He raised his head at this. "Dangerous game, Miss Adderage."

"Remember that conversation we had on reaction time before you let Kuro open the front door to the lodge?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"I find it ironic now, given our current situation."

"Nothing ironic about it at all, dear Sam." Lucas frowned.

Samus smirked. "If only that were the case." Then, with lighting fast reflexes, she chucked the poker at the blonde serial killer, forcing her throwing arm with all her might.

His eyes widened, and he ducked. "Fuck!" he screamed.

"Everyone, get out of here, now," she yelled. When the others didn't move, she screamed at them again. "I said now, motherfuckers! Zelda, toss me your lighter."

The brunette made a smart ass remark before tossing her a lighter in her pocket. When Samus had thrown the poker, Lucas had ducked, and instead the poker slammed into a lamp, shattering the glass façade around the bulb easily, leaving everything open to explosion.

At this point and time, Marth Lowell decided to unceremoniously wake up at the commotion. The bluenette sat up, scratching his head and giving a low groan. "Guys... what in the hell happened?" He got an eye full view of Samus tossing a lighter over Lucas's head, the blonde still assessing any of the damage. A little inferno roared behind the boy, as flame met with open shards of glass and electrons.

Lucas laughed. "You'll have to do better than that, Samus Adderage, to stump me."

She ran for the door, grabbing Marth by the hand. A thought dawned on her. "Hey... Marth, could you pretty please do something for me?"

He blinked. "Yeah. Sure. What is it?"

"Flick the light switch." Samus said sweetly.

Marth shrugged, and did as he was told. "Okay."

Lucas, who managed to hear the entire exchange, widened his eyes. "Oh... fucking hell. You son of a bitch-"

The blonde serial killer never got to say more, as Marth flicked the light switch on, causing the shattered lamp light bulb to 'turn on' igniting a flame to then erupt. Lucas screamed in agony as a bursting supernova of flame and fire drowned out the entire cabin in an explosion.

Samus and Marth went flying back, the girl groaning as her head hit something sharp.

She felt blood pour down her back, when she was hit with an oncoming wave of darkness as unconsciousness ate away at her mind.

* * *

 **There we are guys! I mean, holy shit, we are done with the first primary eleven chapters of Pluto Vacation! I never thought I would've gotten this far and I am beyond happy and surprised to have done so well, I mean, thank you, thank you so much for all the support I've gotten, and we've got one more chapter left to go. So, in the end, while Kuro did do everything he did as a prank, Lucas was the true Freak of the story, chasing after everyone and killing those he did for reasons we'll learn about in the next chapter, our Epilogue, coming March 7th, #12: Going Crazy. Man, my heart is racing after writing this chapter, and having the Pokemon DPPt music playing on repeat while making this chapter, well, it certainly added to the tension. Thanks for reading, please review, and I'll see you all again soon! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	12. Epilogue: Going Crazy

**Hey everybody, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Pluto Vacation. Here we are guys. The final chapter. The epilogue! We are chapter #12, our epilogue, Going Crazy! It's a more calmer chapter than certainly the last like seven combined with no deaths, but plenty of dialogue to mesh out everyone's thoughts of what happened on this crazy night. We'll be introduced to some new characters that aren't new and have made cameos, but now they're major. Wait till the very end for a secret special announcement that I'm super excited for, but I bet many of you already know what I'm going to say but read to find out. Enjoy! It's been an awesome, wild ride. Oh and disclaimer, I made Fox McCloud, one of the characters in this, fully human for purposes, and I apologize if that... turns you off from reading the chapter. This will have a strange way of piecing everything together. Instead of going in chronological order of the characters, I am going to have bits and pieces of each interrogation mixed throughout to make a hazy reclaimed version of their events, and it can add more to the mystery, I suppose. Expect A LOT of dialogue in this last chapter, guys. Hope you like it!**

* * *

 _ **8:45 A.M, Denver City Police Station, Denver, Colorado, December 20th, 2015**_

Detective Fox McCloud brought the steaming cup of coffee to his lips, sighing in contentment as the cocoa drink went down with a satisfying gulp. He stared out from the ground floor of the station, seeing the azure sky with the radiant sun throwing its beams at the sidewalk for it to catch them. Pedestrians walked around in the morning for early commuting, work couldn't be missed. None of these individuals had any idea that a serial killer had almost wiped out an entire group of friends on a mountain ski lodge resort about twenty miles up the road. Walked around blissfully and ignorant to the whole fact that for seven young adults somehow still alive, they barely got out with their lives.

He remembered the panicked voice of Zelda Friedrich earlier in the morning, screaming with a hoarse throat that one of their own was dead, killed by being dropped into a hole in the floor, another crushed by a falling cabin. How her cries made him shudder that late at night, when you hardly expect the radio waves to crackle to life and have someone losing their mind on the other end. Fox had no idea if any of those kids were still alive. He brought up to the distressed girl in that conversation that they would send a helicopter to come pick the kids up when the storm dissipated as it did. Doing so at around four in the morning, he did so, calling out all available choppers. Fox hadn't seen any of them since the helicopters arrived, and he truly didn't know anything about them. All the detective had to go by was a word of mouth account, the sound of something groaning, cursing from the male and female on line, and the collapsing of a huge metal structure. The worse needed to be expected.

The man took another sip of his coffee. It always acted as a stress reliever for him. He found it weird that the resort had been linked back to the deaths of Lucina and Midna Husen a year earlier, as his colleague Rosalina Vinnus went on to a local radio station to give the scoop of that still breaking story. Seemed time to maybe reopen the case.

A knock on the door to the main interrogation room interrupted Fox from his drifting thoughts. "Door is always open." he rasped hollowly.

The door opened, and in stepped his partner in crime, so to speak, Rosalina Vinnus. The other detective, best in her department on homicides and drug dealings, looked ethereal in her diamond dust dress, flaxen hair loosely let down to her side as she graced a sympathetic smile. "They're here." she said simply.

Fox furrowed his eyebrows. "Who?"

"The children from the mountain case."

"Oh. Are you ready to bring them in for questioning?"

"If we can be gentle with them. Accounts tell me that they had a rough night up there, one of catastrophic proportions," Rosalina shrugged. "I doubt any of them are troublemakers, so we don't need to be brutal with them. They aren't criminals."

"Trust me," Another sip of the coffee. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Your facial expressions say otherwise, McCloud." she teased.

"Baffles me how you're so good at the job assigned to you when all you do, Miss Vinnus, is make jokes during work hours." Fox thought aloud.

She joined him by the windowsill, gazing outside with a distant look in her bright diamond eyes. "You know something?"

"What?"

"I bet any of the experiences we have had while working in this field compare to what those kids went through."

"Why is that?" Fox crossed his arms over his chest, slightly hurt by that fact.

"The girl who contacted you and warned us... just the hysterics in her voice brought up alarms. Their friend that died... Kuro Husen, he's the brother of the Husen twins. More than likely the same killer on all the three children, and those kids had to see it all. Perhaps they lost more than just the siblings, for all we know."

"There's only one way to find out." the male detective shrugged. He absolutely despised questioning time.

Rosalina took a deep breath. "Don't remind me."

* * *

Samus Adderage rubbed her arms tight, spurring friction to add some heat to her frigid skin. Dark shadows huddled together in the clump of garbage can green chairs, in the plain washout grey paint of the waiting room in the Denver police station. Transported from one hell to another, in the flick of a finger, the lifting up of a light switch. The surreal blast of fire still flickered and lingered on her skin, Marth's too. Watching the blonde blue eyed terror get roasted into a fried apple made her day after all the shit Lucas Samuels put them through... but her back hurt by being flung into the snow, her head colliding with a rock. Paramedics already staunched the blood flow, stitching the wound back together. Samus Adderage would be good as new physically. Emotionally? She didn't know.

The blonde girl gazed over at the other seats, her friends in order of Luigi, Peach, Sheik, Marth, Link, and Zelda sitting down, mesh blankets the familiar color of crimson blood red draped over shoulders, clinging onto whatever sanity still spoke to them in the invisible corners of their hearts. Darkness clouded the bright and sunny Sheik Boeing, fear plastered confident Marth Lowell. Gloominess and laziness shrouded curious and energetic Peach Tydal. Warm and caring Luigi Russo had been replaced with a bitter and mean old man, growling at those who asked, those who cared. Link Dillon seemed normal, if normal even existed anymore. Blonde hair still kept neatly, only a cut on the side of his cheek representing any form of struggle. Zelda picked at her nails, a hollow, yet angry look in her eyes from the fucking games pulled on her and over her. No doubt about that.

"So... did anyone do that college research paper assigned in our physics class?" Samus cleared her throat, speaking up.

Luigi looked at her first. "We just went through hell, and that's the story you're going with? What are you? Delusional?"

"Don't toss that word out at her," Sheik hissed, the two girls having made a bond from their little escapade in the basement dungeon of the lodge. "She isn't Kuro Husen, and she sure as fuck isn't Lucas Samuels. Delusional fit them like puzzle pieces, you know. Not her. _She's fine!_ "

"They're both dead. Doesn't even matter." Marth whispered. The calm and collected bluenette that everyone loved now reduced to a whispering, crying mess. He received one of the worst treatments, if Samus, Luigi, and Peach wanted to fight over that title as well.

"Can we not speak ill of the deceased?" Zelda snapped, tossing her hair over a shoulder with a indignant flip.

"We spoke of them with full malice intent when they were dead, too." Peach shot back angrily. How the nice blonde who never got angry at anyone could now scream and hiss and yell whenever she felt like it to in one night... that fucked everything up.

"I am the only one who should be angry here!" the brunette growled.

"And why are you the only exception?" Sheik asked daringly.

"Link left me stranded on the bottom of a damn fire tower!" Zelda hissed.

"For the last fucking time, Zel, I didn't do that!" her boyfriend cried, throwing his head into his hands.

Everyone started screaming at each other, people throwing punches and insults. Marth and Link yelled at each other about loyalty to those you loved, the former hurling the insult of perhaps, _you don't love her enough_. Zelda and Peach went back and forth on the matter of lying. They all had shitty nights, not just her. They all escaped with pieces of them missing. Not just her. Luigi argued in the middle of the two girls argument, taking the latter's side. Sheik took Marth's side in the guys' argument, and all Samus Adderage could do was stare at the brokenness of her family, the ones who made her complete and formed a fully functioning group. How two ignorant boys of sheer immaturity and knowledge reduce them to a pile of shit.

She opened her to mouth to scream at everyone to shut the hell up when a loud, clearing throat cut them all off swiftly. "Children! Enough!"

The seven swirled their heads to see two new arrivals, a man and woman standing in front of them, the woman holding a clipboard, eyes wide in shock. The man had a cross expression distorting his features, dark mahogany eyes bearing disappointment into the group. The detective had short, cut tan hair that resembled one of a fox, and tanned skin, a musty brown jacket thrown over a dark shirt and slack. Samus drove her attention to the lady, mesmerized by her golden hair and gorgeous sea blue eyes.

"Thank you..." the woman whispered.

Samus blushed. "We're super sorry about what just happened... we, uh-"

"I totally understand," the man cut her off. "Apologies for yelling, but I couldn't hear me own thoughts on the screaming happening in this room. I've been told you're all friends. Friends don't argue this way, never should, and we won't start now."

"And who are you?" Sheik asked, slightly more disrespectful than she wanted to come across as.

The detective showed them his badge. "I'm senior detective Fox McCloud, and this is my partner, detective Rosalina Vinnus. We are the two in charge of this incident that has befallen you this past evening and early morning."

Everyone looked down at their hands or feet, but Zelda stayed staring ahead. "You're the gentleman I spoke to on the radio."

Fox nodded. "As a matter of fact, I was."

The name of the woman ran in Samus's head and she gasped. "Ma'am, weren't you on the radio last night, Pit Icarus's show... talking about the same Husen family?"

"Yes, I was." Rosalina breathed in, as if taking a sigh of relief.

"We're all friends with the Husen's. Or... were." the blonde girl said.

"Are we all in trouble or something?" Marth spoke up.

Detective McCloud made a reassuring noise. "No, none of you are unless your stories prove to involve criminal activity," At this, Link and Zelda both locked eyes, blushing, and so did Marth and Sheik. Fox raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't mention anything else. "All we're wanting to do is take each of you one by one into the back room and we'll just discuss your story of events that happened last night. A lot of... retelling will happen."

"Seems harmless." Zelda snorted.

"We'd like to think that as well." Rosalina smiled.

Fox eyed the seven. "Shall we all get started?"

No one answered him.

"Perfect." Detective Vinnus said sarcastically.

* * *

Luigi Russo tapped his foot impatiently against the hard tiled floor as Fox and Rosalina took opposite seats from him on the other side of the cold table. A plate of donuts had been pushed in the middle in case he was hungry, but the green clad boy didn't feel like eating all too much. A huge manila folder stared back at him hungrily, data pulled from hometown records of everything he could possibly think about him.

"So... you're here to get the gist of things?"

Fox eyed him. "Somewhat, if you choose to use those particular words."

"It's quite a large file of me." Luigi noticed.

"Preliminary measure, dear." Rosalina said, patting his hand.

He recoiled. "Don't touch me," he hissed. "I'm not experiencing more trauma!"

Her reach paused, face paling, lips parting. "Understood."

"Don't waste my time with this, either."

"We won't, don't worry." Fox said coolly.

* * *

"Who did you stab again?" Rosalina asked a hysterical Peach Tydal, the girl currently crumpled in a heap on the table, sobbing her eyes out with full blown wails and screeches. Fox rolled his eyes. His partner's pen hovered over the paper, hesitant and unsure to make a move and write down the details.

"Freak!" the girl cried.

"And who was Freak?" he asked.

"Kuro! I've already told you this... I've already told you this..." Peach wailed.

"Why did you stab him?"

"He acted as Freak, the serial killer. He came after Luigi and I... twice. How was I supposed to know he had the saws... the gun? The knife and all the terrifying shit he had? How? I demand to know how!"

"I thought you said Lucas Samuels, your friend, was the Freak." Rosalina frowned.

"Well, he was!"

"But you just said Kuro acted as Freak." Fox pointed out.

"No I didn't!" Peach cried defensively.

"We just want the truth."

"Kuro, as a prank acted as Freak. In reality, Lucas was running around killing us and making it seem as if he had been a part of the prank when he individually wanted us all dead..."

"You aren't making sense sweetheart." Detective Vinnus cooed.

"I don't want to be make any sort of fucking sense. I want to get the fuck out of here!" Peach screamed.

* * *

Link Dillon wiped a solemn tear from his eye. "I- I was right there. I tried to do something you guys, I honestly did. I couldn't move. Her voice constantly screaming at me to hurry the fuck up... so she wouldn't die. We already thought we had lost Kuro and Lucas... and I couldn't lose Zelda either."

"And what... Mr. Dillon, are you referring to?" Rosalina asked.

"After we got in touch with you, Lucas, as the Freak, cut the cords that kept the fire tower in place from falling. We went plummeting beneath the snow, where there are mines down there, these huge expanses of tunnels that go everywhere. They lead from the resort to the cable car station, the mines to the resort... everywhere."

"How would Zelda have been lost?" Fox mused aloud.

"She had been hanging onto part of the tower which had been flipped on its side. A ladder... I think." Link whispered.

"Did you save her?"

"No."

"What do you mean?"

"I had been trying to reach her, trying to find a better way to reach my girlfriend. She constantly kept on yelling at me... kept screaming and screaming, not letting me think. Trying over and over again to calm her down, but I suppose in all of the chaos, she'd never hear me. That's when the tower fell further into the mines, taking us both with it."

"The entire tower fell..." Rosalina repeated, a horrified expression plastering her face.

"Straight down. We don't know how deep it went. Zelda managed to luckily snag a bar before it crashed into the ground, and we would have been dead. Friedrich and Dillon blood splattering old cobblestones and rocky surfaces. Not our ideal way to go."

"You survived yourself?"

"I had latched onto Zelda's legs. Almost took of her pants."

He tried not to, but Link Dillon forced a cracked smile.

* * *

Samus Adderage picked at a scab forming on her right shoulder. "I- I thought we were close, you know. After Lucina and Midna died last year. At the hands of our wonderful and amazing friend, Lucas Samuels."

"How'd you get close?"

"We'd talk to each other over the phone a lot. Meet for study sessions and things, teen and adult stuff I suppose. We all live college lives, or at least attempted to. Marth, Luigi, Peach, Kuro and I did that in the very least. His vibrant amber eyes haunt me behind my skull..."

"Do you need to see a psychiatrist about that? We can refer you to one." Rosalina invited.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? After traumatic experiences-" Fox wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

"I said I'm fine! Didn't you hear me, fuckers?" Samus exploded.

A uneasy wave of calm spread over the interrogation room as the girl had launched herself from the seat opposite the two detectives, getting in both of their faces, her own a putrid purple, splotches of angry, dark navy at the cheeks, ragged and hissed breath, and hands latching to the sides of the table.

Fox pursed his lips. "Heard you loud and clear."

Rosalina flipped through Kuro Husen's file, finding a dismal detail. "Oh..." she said in a small voice.

Her colleague frowned. "What is it?"

"Small note on Kuro Husen."

Samus's eyes lit up. "May I know what it is?"

"I'm not sure you want to know, sweetheart."

"Try me. I've been through fucking hell. Nothing worse can happen to me now."

Rosalina closed her eyes, and prompted a Hail Mary. "Kuro Husen and Lucas Samuels were dating. A couple for two years, before you all went to the getaway last year. Seems as to why they connected everything together on the perfect prank."

The blonde girl sank back into her chair, slightly defeated. She let out a loud snicker. "My god..."

"What?" Fox tensed.

"Nothing. I'm just not surprised." Samus said distantly.

* * *

Marth Lowell rubbed his hands nervously over his jeans, every little critter and clink in the room causing him to jump. Rosalina had made a warm brewing cup of hot chocolate for the boy to drink if he wanted something comforting in his system. He fiddled with his hands expertly, whispering low and quiet to himself while keeping the alert persona.

"Son, can you tell me something?"

"Sure. I might not answer truthfully."

"That's not fine."

"Do I look like I give a fuck, sir?" Marth had the decency to had the sir in.

Fox locked his jaw. "No, you don't. Just... answer this one question. How did you end up in the mines? Out of everyone from your group of friends, you know the least, and we just want the details."

The bluenette stared at the detective, fists forming on the table as he placed his hands there to relax. "I had been taken from the cabin. I already answered you that. How many times do I have fucking repeat myself?"

"Just want to confirm." Rosalina assured gently.

Marth snapped an icy glare in her direction. "My ass you do! I'm being made to relive the same details over and over again. Sheik and I had sex! Someone threw her phone into the cabin. She got all pissed off and went to give the person a piece of her mind. Turns out our perpetrator was Lucas who had watched us act love to each other. He pulled me from the cabin! What more do you need?"

"You two had sex, Mr. Lowell?"

"Yeah. Am I not allowed to?"

Fox counted to ten in his head. "Not that you're allowed to..."

"Do you remember anything else, Mr. Lowell?" Rosalina asked.

"Nothing... except that she came for me."

"Who?"

"Sheik." Marth said.

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yes." he began crying.

"That's... great to hear?" Fox didn't know what to say.

"Sheik came to rescue me. My girlfriend almost did it too." Marth whispered, returning to fiddling with his hands.

* * *

"Miss Friedrich, your boyfriend Link said that you two had sex against a tree before going up to the fire tower?" Fox said, retelling some information Link had told him earlier in his interrogation.

"Yeah, so?" Zelda snapped.

"Just... sudden and interesting to pick such a volatile environment."

"I bet you and your partner fuck all the time." the brunette hissed.

Rosalina choked on the water she had been taking a sip from. "I beg your pardon!"

"You heard me." Zelda sneered.

"Miss Friedrich, we will not discuss that." Fox jutted in his pen in her direction.

"Then that means you do it all the time then!" she cried triumphantly.

The male detective recoiled. "Excuse me... you do not-"

"You denied it, but indirectly referred to it by wanting to avoid the subject. You, Mr. Fox McCloud, and you, Mrs. Rosalina Vinnus, who _is married_ by the wedding ringer I see on your finger, have fucked each other at work."

"The reason why I said not to discuss this is-" Fox started.

Rosalina interrupted her colleague. "Zelda, we can talk about sex life at another time. What we want to talk about is the night you just experienced, to try and get a feel from everything. What were your thoughts on a Mr. Lucas Samuels?"

Zelda froze, her eyes flashing with something. Anger? She sat up, clearly composed to give a royal answer. "I never trusted him. Always had these glaring headaches that'd cause him to sit out the rest of the night from partying and having one which is odd and peculiar. He went bed early, all the time. He had gone to sleep when the group played this terrible... horrible, awful prank on the Husen sisters. Did the same this time. I wouldn't put it far past this motherfucker that he had prepared everything for the evening against us."

* * *

Sheik Boeing took a sip of water, having gone back to feeling one hundred percent perfect and normal. She leaned forward, having been the last person to be interviewed in a long morning of screaming, cursing, crying, and other travesties to happen to the sane or _insane_ people who'd occupy the steel slate metal chair and face the two worst detectives of them all.

"You need to listen me," she said, in the earshot of Fox and Rosalina. "Go down into the mines. See what is down there. All the toys, all of Lucas's little fucked up trinkets and pieces he collected to make everything work."

Rosalina wrote down a note. "What is in the mines, Sheik?"

The blonde girl made a grim smile. "I've seen what's down there, like I said. His workshop. His fun little games he could have played on all of us had he somehow gotten everyone trapped in the lair of Samuel hell. I- I'd give anything to unsee it."

"How did you get down there, exactly?" Fox asked.

"Chasing after Marth." she said simply.

"I'm not following you. Can you elaborate more?"

"After he disappeared from me, down into that mineshaft... I had fallen into another part of the mines. An empty hallway that led to his lair. More walking led me to Samus, tied up in that chair, bruised and bloodied from her terrified run away from Kuro. It all connected."

"Can you tell us some of what you saw?" Rosalina urged.

Sheik made a wry smile. "I said no."

"But-"

"Do I need to repeat myself, sir? I am not talking about what I saw down there for myself ever again. You can discuss it all you fucking want, I am not!"

* * *

Fox McCloud sighed, having made another cup of coffee. Taking another sip, he set the new Husen case file with the preexisting one and closed the cabinet shut. Rosalina hung back like a parasite, hesitant to move towards her partner.

"What a morning." he sighed.

"You're telling me," she agreed. "The emptiness in their eyes. That'll be a feeling I'll never lose."

The case had to be reopened, no doubt about it. Doing some more digging led to shocking details. Lucas Samuels had been the first person to meet Kuro Husen from the group, an old day back many years ago during a storm. The two had got it off and became amazing friends, some would call them brothers if close enough. The dark haired boy had kept his new playmate a secret to all his new friends, having turned to entering a homosexual relationship at the age of twelve, afraid to really show everyone who he truly was.

Eventually, the two rolled around and Lucas became known to all as a new friend in the group, the blonde getting to know everyone and acted as a centerpiece, a figment of glue.

Going years back, Fox wanted to see where Lucas's birth records came from, who had he been born to and did those parents of the demented child know that, A. he was dead, and B. a psychopathic serial killer? Shockingly enough... he did find the father and mother.

The original serial killer, the original Freak of Husen Resort in Denver, Colorado. Reflet Samuels, the father of Lucas Samuels. He had knocked up a female security guard, birthed a child, and kept the knowledge of each other a secret to the world. Familial blood ran in the blonde boy, and like father, like son, set out to do what he expected to do from day one. Kill.

Becoming friends with Kuro Husen was easy, the two were very similar in being caring, but the loving comparisons stopped there. The blonde had turned more aggressive, demanding to know his boyfriend's friends. He had an itch to kill, an incessant urge, that when the time was right, he'd execute it.

He wanted to be the only person Kuro would care about in the end, the boy wouldn't love anyone else. All of his friends got in the way. Lucina and Midna Husen got in the way. They all had to be eliminated from the face of the Earth, leaving Kuro and Lucas alone together at long last. Never got to be that way, the dark haired boy so broken hearted over his sisters' deaths, he couldn't fully recover. The prank had been formed, and Kuro talked immediately to his best guy at his side, the man he shared a bed with, the man he loved. Lucas heartily agreed, and then found it could be time to utilize what he had been working for all along. Operation Pluto Vacation could begin, and it sure as fuck almost started.

Now Fox had to retrace his steps, go speak to Reflet Samuels, currently locked up in the Denver jail, in his early fifties at the minimum, presumably on a life sentence if he could somehow break out one day which would never happen. Had to go back to where it all started. This case was far from over. Lucina and Midna's bodies still needed to be recovered from their brutal murder if Lucas hadn't desecrated them yet.

Fox took another sip of coffee. "Rosalina?" he said.

"Yes?"

"Reopen the Husen Family Lodge case, and the Freak case from the 90's. We have a new murder mystery to solve on our hands."

There was no going back.

* * *

 _Pluto Reunification_

 _Coming November of 2016_

* * *

 **Holy shit guys, there you have it! The epilogue, the final chapter of Pluto Vacation for you my darlings, in one huge stride to the end. And yes, you've seen it first, you all see it. A sequel? Le gasp! I'm telling you upfront, we have a second story to go with this one, coming in an good chunk of eight months of this year from now, but it'll be worth it. We'll have some evolved characters, like Fox, Rosalina, (M) Robin of course, and Sheik, Luigi, Marth, and Samus will also reappear throughout as main / side characters. I've been planning this for awhile, and I'm super excited, like holy shit you have no idea. We did it at long last. If you do review, I'd love you to answer some questions!**

 **1) Favorite character of the story, and why?**

 **2) Least favorite character of the story, and why?**

 **3) Favorite chapter title of the story?**

 **4) Most shocking / suspenseful moment of the entire story?**

 **5) Will you read the sequel when I begin to post it this November?**

 **Before I let you go, I want to do some shout outs!**

 **Thank you snow x. fairy, SolarEnergy07, Arctic01, fading in the light, my guest who flamed me for being a good guy in the archive (seriously check this review out, you'll be laughing), pichuplayer, Metroid-Killer, Retronym, my guest flowerslikepixelz, Luca the Wolf, Writer of Worlds, bladewielder05, and Shana Hager for reviewing. Thanks you guys, seriously, it made me continue to write this.**

 **Thank you to Arctic01, Jiyuu No Yume, Metroid-Killer, Rightful Queen of Dorks, SolarEnergy07, Writer of Worlds, pichuplayer, and snow x. fairy for favoring this story.**

 **Again, thank you to Arctic01, Jiyuu No Yume, Metroid-Killer, Rightful Queen of Dorks, SolarEnergy07, Writer of Worlds, and snow x. fairy for following this story.**

 **And last thank you goes to Randomblackberry for hosting the Mystery Contest that this piece is a part of (bad thing that I'm writing a sequel, eh?) and I wish all my competitors the best of luck in the end as we all have done an amazing job and I hope Random you have a hard as fuck time deciding who wins because the entries have all been great.**

 **I love you all so much, and thanks again for being the greatest readers, reviewers, and people a person could ever ask for. Love you all! Have a great day! See you on the flipside.**

 **~ Paradigm**


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